Four Lions players and one Commanders player were suspended by the NFL on Friday (April 21) for violating the league’s gambling policy, including 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams.
Three Lions wide receivers — Williams, Quintez Cephus and Stanley Berryhill — were suspended as well as safety C.J. Moore and Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney. Cephus, Moore and Toney were all suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games, while Williams and Berryhill were suspended six games for betting on non-NFL games from an NFL facility.
The indefinite suspensions will last until at least the end of this season, after which the three players can apply for reinstatement. Cephus and Moore were released by the Lions following their suspensions.
NFL announcement on the suspension of five players: pic.twitter.com/MS1kAFAqQO
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 21, 2023
According to the NFL’s gambling policy, players and personnel cannot place bets on NFL games, the draft or any league-related activities under any circumstances. They also cannot place any bets while at a team facility or on team-related travel.
The league also said they found no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way by the players’ gambling. Both Berryhill and Williams can participate in off-season and preseason activities leading up to their suspension, which will begin on the final roster cut down date on August 29.
Williams, who missed 11 games of his rookie season because of a torn ACL, was selected by the Lions with the No. 12 pick in the 2022 draft — a pick they traded up to get. He showed signs of his playmaking ability, scoring a 41-yard touchdown on the only reception of his limited season.
This is not the first time the league has punished someone for betting, as Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for the entirety of last season after betting on NFL games that included his own team, the Atlanta Falcons. The suspensions dished out on Friday are in line with the suspension given to Ridley, who was reinstated by the league in March.
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