The NFL announced the bombshell news on Friday morning that it has suspended five players for violations of the league’s gambling policy.
Four of the players play for the Detroit Lions, including former first-round draft pick Jameson Williams. Two players — Lions wideout Quintez Cephus and safety CJ Moore — were suspended indefinitely, but for at least one season. The Lions have since released both players.
Williams, meanwhile, has been suspended for the first six games of the 2023 campaign.
No surprise, the hefty punishments have generated plenty of chatter around the NFL. Fans seem to be split about whether or not the suspensions were justified.
On one hand, several social media users pointed out the irony of the NFL suspending players for gambling (especially on non-NFL games, as Williams did) while itself partnering with multiple sportsbooks.
“Why is the NFL so heavily involved with a partner/product that their own employees can’t use?” Kansas City radio host Carrington Harrison tweeted.
“They suspended (Williams) 6 games for betting on the NBA in an NFL facility that’s gotta be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” another fan posted.
Others, however, pointed out that the NFL Players’ Association agreed to the league’s gambling rules, so the offending players have no excuse for breaking them.
“The NFL is consistent in one thing and that is punishing those who gamble on games,” a fan wrote. “You already hit the jackpot, keep your nose clean.”
The NFL had already set a precedent of taking gambling infractions seriously. The league suspended former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who has since signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, for the entire 2022 season for betting on NFL games.
Several others on social media have joked about the situation, generally at the Lions’ expense.
SB Nation writer JP Acosta remarked that the players should have at least made their wagers through burner phones.
“Don’t use the work phone Hugh Freeze should’ve taught us that,” Acosta wrote.
We will continue to monitor the fallout from this breaking news story.
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