AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams will serve a six-game suspension this season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
Williams told reporters Thursday that the suspension “hit me out of the blue” and that he wasn’t aware of the NFL’s gambling rules beforehand.
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard relayed Williams’ comments.
Eric Woodyard @E_Woodyard
<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lions?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Lions</a> WR Jameson Williams says he wasn’t aware of the NFL gambling rule he violated beforehand, but won’t appeal the 6-game suspension. “Just make the right decisions, it was something I wasn’t aware of and it caught me,” he said. Williams says “it hit me out the blue.” <a href=”https://t.co/tLgjywxxgr”>pic.twitter.com/tLgjywxxgr</a>
Williams made a college football bet from the Lions’ facility. According to The Athletic, players cannot make bets at any team or league facility or venue. They also can’t bet on NFL games anywhere, although they are allowed to bet on other sports so long as it isn’t at the aforementioned locations.
Williams’ representation at Alliance Sports made clear that their client wasn’t trying to “jeopardize the integrity of the game” by any means.
“Jameson takes full responsibility for his actions and is very apologetic to the NFL, his teammates and the fans and city of Detroit. However, it is important to note that Jameson’s violation was not for betting on football but rather due to a technical rule regarding the actual location in which the online bet was placed—and which would otherwise be allowed by the NFL outside of the club’s facility. Jameson would never intentionally jeopardize the integrity of the game he loves so much and looks forward to getting back to his team as soon as possible.”
Williams will miss the first six games of the 2023 NFL season. He is eligible to return on Oct. 22 against the Baltimore Ravens.
The former Alabama star missed nearly all of last season after suffering a torn ACL during the national championship game against Georgia. He appeared sparingly in the final six games of the season and notably caught a 41-yard touchdown passes versus the Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 11.