A year after Calvin Ridley drew an indefinite suspension for gambling, the NFL will ban another prominent wide receiver. Jameson Williams received a suspension for violating the NFL’s betting policy, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirms (Twitter link).
The NFL also suspended Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus for gambling. Williams will be sidelined six games, according to the Lions. The Lions have since waived Cephus and released safety C.J. Moore, whom the league also hit with a suspension. The NFL also suspended Lions wideout Stanley Berryhill and Commanders edge rusher Shaka Toney, Rapoport reports.
Cephus and Moore received indefinite suspensions, which will cover at least the 2023 season. A former fifth-round Lions pick, Cephus had been with the team since 2020. Moore resided as a core Lions special-teamer over the past four seasons.
Williams and Berryhill remain with the Lions. Berryhill joined the 2022 first-round pick in drawing a six-game ban. Toney, a 2021 seventh-round Washington draftee, received an indefinite suspension. Toney remains with the Commanders.
“As a result of an NFL investigation, it came to our attention that a few of our players had violated the league’s gambling policy,” Lions GM Brad Holmes said. “These players exhibited decision-making that is not consistent with our organizational values and violates league rules. We have made the decision to part ways with Quintez and C.J. immediately. We are disappointed by the decision-making demonstrated by Stanley and Jameson and will work with both players to ensure they understand the severity of these violations and have clarity on the league rules moving forward.”
This obviously represents a bad look for the two franchises and the NFL, coming not long after the league reinstated Ridley from his year-long suspension. The league’s policy permits players to bet on sports — just not NFL games — but prevents player bets while in team facilities. The NFL did not find the four Lions or Toney used inside information, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), but Friday’s news still stands to alter the Lions’ plans at wide receiver. Williams and Berryhill made mobile bets on non-NFL sporting events while in the Lions’ facility, Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com adds.
The Lions traded up 20 spots to draft Williams 12th overall last year, doing so despite the Alabama-developed speedster suffering a torn ACL in the previous national championship game. Williams missed 11 games last season and caught just one pass — a 41-yard touchdown — upon returning; the Lions used their rehabbing receiver sparingly. But Williams was set to be a key component of the Lions’ 2023 offense. Those plans are on hold. Williams and Berryhill will be permitted to participate in offseason workouts, training camp and preseason games, per NFL rules, but the receivers will then be shut down until Week 7.
Additionally, the Lions fired several staffers last month for violating the gambling policy, Woodyard reports. The Lions first learned of the NFL’s investigation in March. The staffers’ dismissals coupled with the four player suspensions point to a widespread problem — regarding rule awareness at the very least — among the Lions here. Williams’ agency indicates (via Rapoport) the second-year wideout accepts responsibility for his infraction but notes the penalty stems from an otherwise-legal bet — just one that took place on team property. Players are also prohibited from making bets on team planes or in hotels on the road.
For decades, the NFL featured a short list of players banned for gambling policy violations. That number has grown substantially over the past four years. Friday’s news runs the number of NFL players suspended for gambling to seven since 2019, following Ridley and defensive back Josh Shaw. Ridley is on track to return to action as a Jaguar; Shaw never played again after his ban.
A former UDFA, Berryhill played four games for the Lions last season. Toney served as a backup pass rusher in 16 with the Commanders in 2022. He did not record a sack last season but registered 1.5 as a rookie in 2021. Toney’s future with the NFC East team should certainly be considered in doubt. Should Toney be back with the Commanders in 2024, two years will still remain on his rookie contract. This suspension will lead to the deal tolling.
As for the Lions, their receiver situation suddenly looks quite different. Williams was set to join Amon-Ra St. Brown and the recently reacquired Marvin Jones as the team’s top receivers. Josh Reynolds also remains under contract. The Lions signed Jones on March 29; it is fair to wonder if the NFL’s investigation into Williams and Cephus played a part in that move. Of course, the Lions re-signed Moore on March 18; the organization clearly learned of this investigation after that date. Cephus joined Berryhill in only playing in four games last season, but the three-year veteran represented depth for a position group that lost DJ Chark this offseason.
Ridley got suspended indefinitely for a trivial amount and Williams only gets 6 games? Nice consistency NFL.
Ridley bet on Falcons games. Williams did not bet on NFL games. See the difference?
Williams bet on other sports, not the NFL, but did it in an NFL facility, so technically still a violation.
Read the facts chief! Ridley bet on NFL games. Williams bet in NCAA (SEC) games. Don’t be critical unless you know what your talking about.
Serious culture issues in Detroit. Intelligence issues as well. NFL players can’t bet on NFL games. Seems obvious to anyone able to critically think. However, Williams made bets on non NFL games from his stadium. I can’t connect the dots to being suspended for that.
It’s well documented Campbell has built a great culture in Detroit. This doesn’t erase all that.
Serious league issue not just a Lions issue. Yes? Gut says this is just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned!
Lions players just got caught. Probably many more players on other teams will too.
I’m sorry, but is a Bengals fan lecturing us about culture issues? 😉
They’ve had a great culture since Marvin left four years ago, but thanks for playing old tapes.
Don’t get sensitive and butthurt. It was clearly said tongue in cheek. (◔_◔)
I wonder how much the eating of kneecaps effects the culture?
Total hypocrisy by the NFL. Let’s push for things such as detailed injury reports to the public, daily updates on a players injury status for the game, and having ‘experts’ on all the pregame and weekly shows predicting games by using the points spread. All this in the name of giving people the information they need to bet the games. Then they partner up with sites such as Fan Duel, Caesar’s Sports Betting, BetMGM, DraftKings, among others as well as their own FOX pregame betting with Terry Bradshaw Pick 6 to promote gambling on the games. That’s all ok, because it brings money into the pockets of the league I guess.
However, Ridley, who used a NFL sponsored site to bet a total of $2,000 was suspended ‘indefinitely’ and lost a year of income for using their promoted sites, and he didn’t even bet on his own team. Now other players are suspended as well. How much did they bet? Who did they bet on? Those are the questions I want to know. The whole thing steams of a ‘do as I say, not do as I do’ type of proclamation.
FOLLOW. THE. RULES. FanDuel employees can’t use their employers site, the same with all other gambling companions. IF YOU WORK FOR THE NFL, DONT BET, ITS SIMPLE!!!! It’s not hypocritical it’s simple personal responsibility!!
Williams and Berryhill used a mobile app at the team’s facility to bet on non-NFL games (source is ESPN). That’s the difference between them and what Calvin Ridley did. I do agree in the hypocrisy of the NFL teaming with gambling sites to promote a product. However, rules are rules.
Ridley did bet on his own team. It’s a rule that was agreed upon and everyone is held accountable to. Whether it is dumb or not is irrelevant.
Totally agree but hypocrisy is Goddell’s middle name. Total BS stance by the league that they give a sexual predator like Watson an 11 game suspension but indefinite suspensions to players using gambling apps the league partners with for profit
Well they broke the rules and that’s dumb. According to everything I’ve read the NFL goes to every teams training camp and explains the rules and CAN and CAN”T do’s to everybody. So if they do that and they’re still dumb enough to do it then…….. Sorry, I got nothing.
Incorrect, JayHeck. Ridley absolutely bet on his own team. So I guess the hypocrisy you speak of is null and void?
# 87 – I’m not referring to the players who bet on the NFL or their own team, so not sure how/why you’re coming to this conclusion????? The hypocrisy I’m referring to is about punishing players who bet on other sports via the apps (Fan Duel, Draft Kings, etc) the NFL is making HUGE money off that are being shoved in our face endlessly by celebrities such as Jamie Foxx, Barry Sanders, Kevin Garnett, the Manning Clan..etc…Explain that one, will you?
Perhaps because YOU SAID “Ridley didn’t even bet on his own team”??
He DID bet on his own team.
87…B4 you accuse someone of writing something I suggest you get your facts straight as I NEVER wrote anything about Ridley…suggest you re-read these comments, assuming of course you know how to do that!
True. It was RockHauler who incorrectly said that.
Thanks Unclemike… guess reading and spelling are not 87’s strongest subjects
Reading comprehension is overrated anyway. 🙂
I mean, if they weren’t betting on NFL games I’m not sure why the NFL cares about them gambling. What NBA, MLB, NHL teams do has 0 impact on what the NFL does.
I get NFL players betting on NFL games is a bad look and can cause controversy, even if unwarranted. Not sure how NFL players betting on other sports leagues is that big of a deal.
Slippery slope argument incoming.
It’s just simple rules to follow, Williams didn’t need to bet at the facility, ignorance of rules is no defense and none of us can go to work and break rules that we think are dumb, otherwise something negative will happen to us, not hard to follow the most basic of rules if you have any remnant of intelligence in your head
Actually we can. When rules are trivial people will break them. If you don’t think you do, go read your employee handbook. I’m guessing next time you send a personal email from your work account you will not be suspended for 6 weeks.
Who sends personal email from their work account when all you have to do is pick up your smart phone or open a new browser tab? The implications are wild for such a small amount of effort to maintain boundaries in your life.
Williams probably did use his phone. Got caught because he was on the lions wifi most likely.
I honestly don’t think it was something he did that he “thought he would get away with,” I think it was simply a case of a kid who doesn’t pay attention yet because he’s still immature. That isn’t excusing what he did, Lions fan disclosure, it’s just simply important to me in that respect to consider the situation in that way: “intentional or ignorance.” Either way the result remains the same; suspension.
True, it is up to authorities to create good rules, but it also up to people to follow them. A trivial rule is a different thing than an outright bad rule, the latter of which people have much better reasons to not follow. In this case, the NFL is very much an elective entity that players don’t get punished for avoiding. They get to set their rules, and this is a fairly minor thing to require of players. Does it seem to matter much? No. Is it totally within the NFL’s purview to make such a request? Sure. It’s hypocritical for them to do so and advertise for gambling, I absolutely agree, but it is their show at the end of the day and nobody is forcing those players to gamble in the first place.
Everyone is at fault here.
The players made a dumb decision that went against league rules, so they’re paying the price for it. But it’s also hypocritical for the league to even have these rules to begin with, considering how much revenue it brings in and since a lot of pro sports teams now have betting stations in their stadiums. As long as they’re not using inside info, I don’t really see a problem.
So if a defender bets the over and he happens to miss an assignment in garbage time and gives up a 40 yard td so he hits his over, you’re okay with that?
So why would I as a potential gambler want to place a bet when it can be easily manipulated by players on the field for their own gain? Less people would be inclined to gamble. That leads to less revenue for the gambling companies. That’s why you can’t bet on your own games, and to prevent collusion, can’t bet on any game if you’re in the league.
Now the gambling on your own facility, idk why that is in effect, but regardless, it is and these athletes need to follow the rules
You might not have understood what I meant because anything to do with your own team would be “inside info.”
If you’re betting on another sport whether it’s in your team facility or not, you probably don’t have any inside info on it (and if you do that’s a separate issue). That’s the part that makes no sense.
I gotcha. I can see why they avoid it, but get why people think it doesn’t make sense
Sutton and a 6th round pick for the Lions 2nd round pick?
Brad Holmes hangs up.
I don’t know why everyone is so eager to give away Denver’s receivers. They had a down year offensively and there aren’t any better options with which to restock the team. Why give them away for picks that will be used to replace them with lower level talent?
More team control and less salary. I honestly wouldn’t take Sutton on the Lions for free at his current cap hit.
Sutton is potentially a top flight receiver with a good quarterback and offensive system. He has size, speed, and usually good hands (last season of course being atrocious). Denver has been a questionable place for quarterbacks and has suffered through some atrocious playcalling offensively for the last several years; I think that you may be surprised if Sutton gets to play with a competent offense and good quarterback play. That said, I agree, this potential trade seems unnecessary to me, for either party.
Man, Detroit can’t catch a break. When it comes to pro sports, they always seem to be the punchline to every joke.
Much like MN!!!!!!!!!
You’re forgetting their “Super Bowl” win at Lambeau to end the regular season. At least, the way they were celebrating it sure seemed like they must have won it all.
Williams really ruining the integrity of the game by…betting on another sport? Classic NFL.
He did it on NFL property and they want that stuff out of sight, out of mind. The fact several staffers were let go means there must have been something wild going on…..
Like a March madness bracket pool?
Meanwhile there are betting stations at NFL, MLB, NBA stadiums nationwide. Yes, on their property.
When Ridley got suspended I said it’s the sign that a niche market is opening: Strawman Betting.
… then this happens and I think “how did the NFL know the exact location from where they placed bets?”
That opens the door to far too many scenarios making Middleman Bookee too complicated to even entertain lol
Betting sites like Fanduel, Draft Kings, etc track your location so they know that you are betting from a state that it’s legal. They know right where you are.
Privacy issues is another nonstarter for yours truly lol
The app also has access to the camera. That is why no one is pointing to an intern or towel boy to take the blame for placing the bet. The app takes your picture to record who placed the bet for verification purposes.
Good lord. Hope they hit Mattress Mac sized jackpots. Otherwise it’s going to be tough making ends meet on those minimum wages at Kinney Shoes.
Apparently gambling is worse than sexually assaulting women
The potential financial impact on the league is greater in a gambling scandal than in any type of assault scandal. Sad but true
Worse?! Sexually assaulting 30 plus women gets you a fully guaranteed contract, and gambling gets you suspended indefinitely. Sexual assault is not even discouraged.
Hence why I said gambling is worse. I think that one went right over your head
I was making the observation that worse usually compares two bad things. In this case, one action seems to be bad and one the other gets you a fully guaranteed contract in a sport that does not guarantee contracts. Hence, one is bad and one is not even discouraged so the idea of comparing two bad things and designating one of the bad things as worse, may not even apply in this case. But I can see it went over your head!
Good lord. Hope they hit Mattress Mac sized jackpots. Otherwised it’s going to be tough making ends meet on those minimum wages at Kinney Shoes.
It’s dumb. If you gamble on college who cares?
Unless he used sources at Alabama that would give him an advantage. An extreme example: Bryce Young sprained an ankle in practice, but it wasn’t publicly reported. Bama is favored by a ton over, let’s say, Mississippi State. Young will probably start/play, but is nowhere near 100%. The spread is 22 and a hook. A sub-optimal Bryce Young/back-up QB will still most likely win the game. But taking the under is advantageous for those in the know.
I doubt that’s what happened, and I’m a Lions’ fan. Just playing Devil’s Advocate.
Jameson Williams must not like playing September/October Football.
This is clearly a stupid act by all 5 players, particularly after being able to witness first hand the Calvin Ridley suspension.
The prohibition on non-NFL wagering while for lack of better definition “on NFL business” reeks of Irony. This irony is sponsored by FanDuel.
This may sound silly, but I wonder if the NFL does any sort if education for rookies on this subject.
Gambling in the NFL should be a no-brainer, especially after Calvin Ridley, but Jameson Williams placed a legal bet, just on the wrong patch of real estate. It feels – heavy handed.
I know they did finance classes for rookies, and I think gambling in anything a player or coach has influence on is rightly assessed as a heavy penalty, but this seems like an education lapse for Jameson.
Im sure its probably in a handbook somewhere though.
How many players can read at a 5th grade level? Football is mostly talent and instinct and made complicated by offensive play callers who think they need to reinvent the wheel.
All of them. What was the last book you read???
The fact that several players and staffers were involved seems to indicate that there may have been an organized event of some kind. Maybe they had a fantasy league, I don’t know. But I would wager that that’s what got the league’s attention, especially after the very public studs of the Ridley affair.
Wow. This is a bad response.
With some of the egregious calls made by refs lately, one has to hope the NFL is also watching the referees and the their families when it comes to betting on games
The NFL watches them closely. Making an egregious call then cashing a giant check or making a substantial purchase would land a referee in jail.
See NBA from about 15-20 years ago.
I don’t know how many officials are attorneys, but I’d guess on average they’re slightly more in tune with legalities than players. Or at least don’t need their agents, mommy or buddies to tell them what is OK or not (or be negatively influenced by them..).
Almost all of the referees are lawyers.
If you really want to prove yourself as a gambler get married and raise a family.
“The league’s policy permits players to bet on sports — just not NFL games — but prevents player bets while in team facilities.”
Doesn’t matter if I like the rule or not. There it is. Should just follow it. Work the CBA to change it if it is that important.
I’m seeing a lot of “he wasn’t betting on the Lions”…and “They should be allowed to bet, as long as it’s not NFL games” types of comments on here.
On any given week, there are nearly 1700 active roster players, in addition to IR, practice squad, and team staffs.
Do you guys really think its feasible for the NFL to track and inspect that many peoples’ individual bets every week?…to make sure they’re not on NFL games? …or more specifically their own team’s games?
That would be a colossal task. Its much easier and makes way more sense to just say “no betting on anything.”
The average NFL career is what? 3-5 years?
If you can’t avoid gambling for your NFL career, and save it until after retirement, you might have a problem.
Quintez Cephus, especially (the epitome of fringe player), has maybe another year or 2 left in the league. Bet when you’re done dude. Now he’s wrecked his earning ability for at least part of one of his limited number of seasons. He can’t get that time or money back now… just foolish.
The best solution is what the NFL is doing now, no gambling at all. Wait til you’re out.
Same goes for weed. Looking at you Josh Gordon, wait until you’re done, so you’re not done early.
Anyone who gambles is a loser.
I’d bet against that statement.
I’ll take the over.
Why does it matter if a player bets on games unrelated to the league they’re playing in?
So 1700 players and only five gambled? And 80% were from detroit due to a fun March madness bracket challenge? The punishment doesn’t fit the crime and if it don’t fit you must acquit
It appears they’re the only 5 who did so in team facilities, which is a no-no.
If you did the crime, you do the time.
Moore resided as a core Lions special-teamer he’ll be have no problem getting back in the NFL BB loves himself special teamer’s
Only the owners are allowed to make money on gambling.
Nfl: we have suspended the player for 6 games for gambling in an NFL building.
Also nfl: this suspension is brought to you by draft kings.
Hoo Hoo Robin, he’s rippin’ me off. Hoo Hoo 🙂
I’m sure someone beat me to it, just didn’t want to read 90 comments to see it lol.