NFL comes down hard on five players for violating the league’s gambling policy by suspending them

The NFL does not take violations of its gambling policy lightly. In the last few years, the league has been coming down hard on players who have been found to violate the guidelines specified in the official policy of the league. The league has been ruthless when it comes to issuing punishments in this regard and has adopted a zero-tolerance policy as was observed in the case of Calvin Ridley.

This time, the NFL has suspended five players, four of which belong to the Detroit Lions for violating their gambling policy. Ian Rapoport reported that the league has officially suspended wideouts Jameson Williams, Quintez Cephus, Stanley Berryhill, and safety C.J. Moore from the Lions along with the Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney.

Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill face a six-game suspension, while Cephus, Moore, and Toney are suspended indefinitely. This means the three are guaranteed to remain out of action for the 2023 season. They will be eligible to apply for reinstatement in the following year. The NFL has confirmed that none of the gambling activities undertaken by the suspended players has influenced any football game this season.

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The Detroit Lions have released Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore following their suspensions

As per the official gambling policy, staff and players within the NFL are prohibited from engaging in any form of gambling in any club/league facility or venue, including the practice facility. Williams and Berryhill had reportedly violated this rule. They placed bets on non-NFL games but they did from within an NFL facility which is why their quantum of punishment is relatively lower.

To make matters worse, the Lions have cut Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore effective immediately. Cephus was a 2020 fifth-round pick who has played 22 games for the Lions, and Moore has been one of the more consistent players who has played in 56 games over the last 4 seasons. Jameson Williams’ suspension is a significant blow to Detroit as he was the team’s first-round pick last year. He played six games this season and had one touchdown.

The wideout’s reps at Alliance Sports issued a statement shortly after, “Jameson takes full responsibility for his actions and is very apologetic to the NFL, his teammates and the fans, and city of Detroit. However, it is important to note that Jameson’s violation was not for betting on football but rather due to a technical rule regarding the actual location in which the online bet was placed- and which would otherwise be allowed by the NFL outside of the club’s facility. Jameson would never intentionally jeopardize the integrity of the game he loves so much and looks forward to getting back to his team as soon as possible.”

Shaka Toney is a seventh-round pick that the Commanders drafted in 2021. He has played 26 games for the team and had 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Following the NFL’s suspension, the Commanders released this statement, “We have been made aware of the suspension of Shaka Toney. We have cooperated fully with the NFL’s investigation since receiving notice and support the league’s findings and actions. All further questions on the topic should be directed to the NFL League Office.”

The 5 suspensions for this year come after Calvin Ridley of the Jacksonville Jaguars was suspended for the entire 2022 NFL season for betting on NFL games in 2021. He is now eligible to play as he applied for reinstatement and has obtained the league’s permission to return.

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