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Five NFL players have been suspended for violating the National Football League’s gambling policy, the league announced today.
The policy bars anyone in the NFL from engaging in any kind of gambling in league facilities or venues, including practice facilities. The league said its review uncovered no evidence that inside information was used.
No games were compromised as a result of the gambling, the NFL added.
Three players — Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore of the Detroit Lions, and Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders — will be suspended indefinitely, at least until the end of the 2023 season, for betting on NFL games last season.
Those players will be able to petition for reinstatement at the end of the season.
Two other Lions athletes — Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams — are suspended from playing in the first six regular season games. They will be able to participate in offseason and preseason activities.
Quintez Cephus #87 of the Detroit Lions catches the ball for a first down during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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The NFL’s crackdown comes as 33 states, including Michigan, and Washington, D.C., have launched legal betting markets since a landmark 2018 U.S. Supreme Court case paved the way for states to offer legal sports wagering.
Earlier this week, major pro leagues — the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, NASCAR and MLS — announced they were joining media companies NBCUniversal and Fox to form a coalition that aims to regulate sports-betting advertising as it floods television, internet and print media.
Soon after the suspensions were announced, the Detroit Lions said they were releasing Cephus and Moore. According to ESPN, the Lions became aware of the NFL’s investigation “about a month ago.”
“We are disappointed by the decision making demonstrated by Stanley and Jameson and…
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