Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams will be eligible to play next week after his NFL-imposed suspension was reduced on Friday.
The former Alabama All-American had been suspended by the NFL for six games on April 21 for violating the league’s gambling policy.
The Lions announced Williams was suspended for betting on non-NFL games at an NFL facility. The NFL’s gambling policy prohibits anyone in the league from engaging in any form of gambling in any club or NFL facility or venue, including the practice facility.
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The NFL announced new policiesrelated to gambling on Friday. Under the new plan, players who bet on non-football games at the workplace will be suspended for two games without pay for a first violation, six games for a second violation and at least one year for a third violation.
Because Williams already had missed the Lions’ first four games of the season, he will be eligible to rejoin the team on Monday as Detroit begins preparations for its Oct. 8 game against the Carolina Panthers.
Detroit had hoped to give Williams a heavy workload in the preseason, and he played 51 offensive snaps in the Lions’ 21-16 victory over the New York Giants in their preseason opener on Aug. 11. But a hamstring injury sustained at practice caused Williams to miss Detroit’s final two preseason contests.
Williams caught 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns and averaged 35.2 yards and scored two touchdowns on 10 kickoff returns during his only season for Alabama in 2021. The Associated Press and The Sporting News selected Williams as a first-team All-American. But Williams played only 78 offensive snaps during his rookie season because he sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his final college game – the CFP national-championship contest for the 2021 season.
The knee injury didn’t dissuade the Lions from trading the 32nd, 34th and 66th selections in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Minnesota Vikings to move into the 12th spot to pick Williams.
Williams wasn’t able to practice with his NFL teammates until Nov. 21. The Lions activated him on Dec. 3, and he made his NFL debut the next day, 47 weeks after his knee injury.
Williams had two touches during his rookie season. On Dec. 11, Williams started the Lions’ scoring in a 34-23 victory over the Minnesota Vikings with a 41-yard reception. On Jan. 1, Williams went 40 yards on an end-around in Detroit’s 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.