This offseason was surprising for the Detroit Lions. Four players from the 2022 squad have already been penalized for gambling, and we may add another person to that list soon.
According to The Athletic’s Kalyn Kaler, the NFL is investigating an unnamed 2022 Lions player for possibly violating the NFL’s betting rules. The Athletic is not naming the player at this time (as the investigation is still ongoing and the player has reportedly not yet met with investigators), but did say the player was not a prominent member of the team.
This new investigation follows the April 21 announcement that four Lions players had been suspended for gambling rule violations. Lions players CJ Moore and Quintez Cephus were suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games, while Stanley Berryhill and 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams received a six-game suspension for allegedly betting on college football games while in the team’s facility. Moore, Cephus and Berryhill have since been released.
It is quite astonishing that five Lions players have been investigated and/or punished for gambling violations. What’s in the water there? Is head coach Dan Campbell feeding players’ kneecaps? More importantly, are the team personnel or the NFLPA or the NFL itself properly educating players, especially new ones, about the betting rules?
That’s a big question, as Williams recently said he was unaware of the NFL’s gambling rules until he was suspended for violating them.
