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The NFL distilled its gambling policy into six rules for players amid numerous violations of the league’s edicts in recent months.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network relayed the league’s memo:
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet
On an NFL conference call discussing the league gambling policy and education, here are the 6 key rules for players: <a href=”https://t.co/Fg5yFMVbek”>pic.twitter.com/Fg5yFMVbek</a>
Of note, four Detroit Lions players were suspended for gambling in April, including 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams. The ex-wideout said that he was not aware he was in violation of the league’s gambling policy when he wagered on college football while at the team’s facility.
Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Calvin Ridley, then of the Atlanta Falcons, was suspended for the 2022 season after it was found that he bet on his ex-team to win games as part of multi-legged parlay bets. He has since been reinstated.
Ridley talked about his decision to gamble on those games in more depth in a Players’ Tribune piece, which discussed his childhood, mental health and his comeback to the field. Ridley said in part:
“I just f–ked up. Period. In a dark moment, I made a stupid mistake. I wasn’t trying to cheat the game. That’s the thing I want to make clear. At the time, I had been completely away from the team for about a month. I was still just so depressed and angry, and the days were so long. I was looking for anything to take my mind off of things and make the day go by faster.”
He has since suggested to NFL players that they stay away from gambling entirely.
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is also under investigation from the NFL for a potential gambling policy violation.
NFL players and gambling also hit the news recently after Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that an unnamed player lost $8 million from gambling in 2022.
Ultimately, teams and players can pay heavy prices with gambling policy violations. The Lions will be without a potential star player in Williams for six games now.
But with Tuesday’s release, the league’s goal now appears to be to make the gambling policy more understandable with bullet-point rules to prevent further suspensions.