Five players, including Jameson Williams, were suspended on April 21, 2023. Three players, Quintez Cephus, C.J. Moore, and Shaka Toney, were suspended indefinitely for gambling on NFL games in a league facility.
The Detroit Lions’ Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill were suspended for six games because they bet on non-NFL games inside a league facility.
Jameson Williams Speaks on Gambling Suspension
The NFL has a zero-tolerance policy for gambling of any kind, and they have been strict with their suspensions. In recent NFL history, Josh Shaw was suspended for betting in 2019 when he bet on sports events at a Las Vegas casino. Shaw was reinstated in 2021 but has not played for the league since.
Calvin Ridley was suspended for the entire 2022 season after he stepped away from the Falcons for mental health concerns. He was not playing when he gambled on the games, but the league suspended him anyway because he bet on Atlanta Falcons games. He returns as a Jacksonville Jaguar in 2023.
Yet, having so many players banned at once for gambling is unprecedented in the NFL and is already a focus of the sports world due to the number of suspensions.
Williams gets particular interest because he is a first-round pick and the only Lion that would consistently receive gridiron time. Williams is also the only Detroit Lion that has not been cut from the team since the players were suspended in April.
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Williams addressed his gambling faux pas for the first time on Thursday, May 25. He said he wasn’t aware of the strict rules surrounding gambling inside a team facility or where he was inside the facility when he bet on sports games.
Nevertheless, the young WR won’t contest the NFL’s ruling. He took his suspensions without appeal, understands the consequences of his actions, and is looking forward to better days. That’s a positive outlook for the young athlete to have in a tough situation.
