The NFL suspended multiple players Friday, including Lions star receiver Jameson Williams and three others from Detroit, for violating the league’s policy on sports betting.

Williams and receiver Stanley Berryhill received six-game suspensions for betting on non-NFL games from an NFL facility. Detroit receiver Quintez Cephus and defensive back C.J. Moore, as well as Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney, were suspended indefinitely by the league for betting on NFL games. Cephus and Moore were released by the Lions shortly after the NFL’s announcement.

The latest cases mark the highest-profile instances of discipline for gambling violations in the league since Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for the 2022 season for betting on NFL games.

But what exactly are the NFL’s rules on gambling? Here’s what you need to know:

What’s the NFL’s policy on gambling?

The NFL’s gambling policy prohibits anyone in the NFL “from engaging in any form of gambling in any club or league facility or venue, including the practice facility.” However, players are not prohibited from gambling on sports other than football.

Additionally, the collective bargaining agreement adopted in March 2020 allowed for the establishment of sportsbooks in NFL stadiums, which adds another wrinkle. There is a sportsbook adjacent to State Farm Stadium, which hosted the Super Bowl in February, and the Washington Commanders opened a sportsbook at FedEx Field in January, the first sportsbook inside an NFL stadium. However, all NFL personnel are prohibited from entering or using any sportsbook during the season.

The Supreme Court lifted the ban on sports gambling in most of the country in 2018. Previously, the NFL vociferously opposed the proposition and even disallowed former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo from attending a fantasy sports convention in Las Vegas in 2015 because it was next to a casino. Now the NFL stages major events in Las Vegas, including next year’s Super Bowl.

In the latest case, the league said in a news release Friday that it found no evidence that “any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way.”

What are other cases of discipline for players gambling?

There have been multiple cases where the NFL has issued discipline for gambling violations.

Jets wide receivers coach Miles Austin was the most recent person suspended by the NFL for gambling in December 2022. In Austin’s case, there was no indication that he bet on NFL games as a coach, but bet on other sports, violating the league’s policy. Though the NFL allows players to gamble on non-NFL sports, league or team employees are forbidden to do so.

Ridley served a season-long suspension while with Atlanta in 2022 for gambling on NFL games, including Falcons’ contests. Ridley acknowledged at the time that he did bet on games. He wrote in an article for The Players’ Tribune in March: “One day, I saw a TV commercial for a betting app, and for whatever reason, I downloaded it on my phone.

“I deposited like $1,500 total, literally just for something to do. I was going to bet like $200 on some NBA games that night, but then I just added a bunch more games to a parlay. I put the Falcons in on it. I was just doing it to root on my boys, basically. I didn’t have any inside information. I wasn’t even talking to anybody on the team at the time. I was totally off the grid.”

The history of suspensions for betting on NFL games dates all the way back to 1963, when former Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras and former Packers running back Paul Hornung were suspended for the entire 1963 season for betting on NFL games. Then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle said Hornung bet up to $500 on games and Karras placed at least a half-dozen $50 to $100 bets.

How do other leagues handle sports betting?

Like the NFL, major sports leagues’ stances on gambling have evolved over time. Other leagues have moved toward relaxing rules around player involvement in sports betting, although they may not bet on games in their league.

The NBA’s latest CBA allows players to have the ability to promote and/or invest in betting and cannabis companies, and they will be allowed to sign non-gambling endorsement deals with sports betting companies.

In MLB, a provision in the latest CBA allows for players to also cash in on endorsements with sports betting companies, although they are not allowed to gamble on baseball games.

The NHL also prohibits gambling on any NHL game, but according to the NHLPA, players may wager on any sport outside of hockey.

In MLS, a player could face a fine, suspension or termination if a player bets “or has offered or attempted to bet money or anything of value” on any game involving an MLS team or player, including any national team game and “any kind of fantasy game,” per the league’s rules.

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(Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty)