Lions’ Jameson Williams among 5 players suspended for gambling

Mar 2, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams talks to the media during the 2022 NFL Combine. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams is one of five NFL players who have been suspended for violating the league’s policy on gambling.

The NFL on Friday announced that Williams and Lions teammates Quintez Cephus, CJ Moore and Stanley Berryhill have been suspended along with Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney. Williams and Berryhill received six-game bans while Cephus, Moore and Toney have all been suspended indefinitely, which means at least the entire 2023 season.

A press release from the NFL stated that Cephus, Moore and Toney were found to have wagered on NFL games during the 2022 season. The nature of the violations for Williams and Berryhill was not disclosed, but the announcement noted that the NFL’s gambling policy prohibits players, coaches and personnel from “engaging in any form of gambling in any club or league facility or venue, including the practice facility.

The NFL said an investigation determined that no inside information from games was used in any of the wagers and no games were compromised as a result.

Cephus and Moore were cut by the Lions immediately after the news surfaced.

Sports gambling has been legalized in many new states over the past few years, but the NFL has strict rules in place that they say are designed to protect the integrity of the game. The league has ways to track gambling activity, which we learned when Calvin Ridley was suspended for betting on games.

One NFL coach was also suspended toward the end of last season for violating the league’s gambling policy.

Williams was the 12th overall pick in last year’s draft. The former Alabama star missed most of the season with an injury and caught just one pass in six games.