Topline
The National Football League issued one of its harshest gambling penalties ever Friday, suspending five players, including four members of the Detroit Lions.
© Provided by Forbes Jameson Williams is one of the suspended players. Getty Images
Key Facts
Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore and Washington Commanders defensive lineman Shaka Toney face indefinite suspensions that will last the entirety of the 2023 season at minimum, the league said in a release.
Cephus, Moore and Toney wagered on NFL games last season, according to the league, breaking the player conduct policy.
Detroit announced it released Cephus and Moore minutes after the suspensions became public.
The NFL also suspended Lions wide receivers Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill for violating gambling rules.
There’s “no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way,” the NFL said.
Berryhill and Williams are thought to have bet on college athletics at Lions facilities, according to NFL Network.
Key Background
Williams, the 12th pick in the 2022 NFL draft, is by far the highest-profile suspended player. The University of Alabama product will miss out on roughly $400,000 in game checks due to the suspension. The NFL suspended star wide receiver Calvin Ridley for the 2022 season for betting. The NFL did not penalize a player for betting between 1983 and 2019, but has now suspended seven players for gambling violations as the legalization and popularity of sports wagering grows.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated…