The NFL made significant changes to its gambling policy on Friday, and they are good news for Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams.
In a memo, commissioner Roger Goodell announced stiffer penalties for players who are found to have gambled on NFL games, with players now subject to a one-year suspension if they bet on NFL games and a two-year ban if they bet on their own team. Accordingly, penalties for betting on non-NFL games from team facilities have been slightly relaxed, with a first violation now leading to a two-game suspension.
Betting on non-NFL sports from the workplace now will lead to this discipline:
🏈First violation – two game suspension without pay
🏈Second violation – six game suspension without pay
🏈Third violation – suspension without pay for at least one year https://t.co/g6fnyFl8Lv— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 29, 2023
This is good news for Williams, who has already sat out four games this season after apparently betting on non-NFL games while at Detroit’s facility. Williams was originally given a six-game suspension, but with penalties reduced, Williams will now be reinstated immediately.
As a result of gambling policy changes, Titans’ OT Nick Petit-Frere and Lions’ WR Jameson Williams will be reinstated effective on Monday. They each had served four game suspensions for violations of the league’s gambling policy.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 29, 2023
This is an unexpected boost for the Lions, who were already 3-1 after beating the Green Bay Packers convincingly on Thursday. Williams, the No. 12 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has not really had a chance to show what he can due thanks to injuries and his suspension, but now the team will be able to work him into the offense sooner than they expected.
