The NFL had only suspended five players in its history for gambling entering the 2023 offseason.
Now, there are a whopping 15 total players on that ignominious list.
The NFL has decided to crack down on its gambling policy during the 2023 offseason. The league's goal in doing this? To preserve the integrity of the game. It's also to protect itself — and its sportsbook partners — from being caught up in any unsavory action by a rogue player looking to make a quick buck.
Of course, there have been some complaints from suspended players that they weren't entirely aware of the details of the NFL's gambling policy. After all, some didn't bet on NFL games, so why were they being sidelined?
As always, the answers lie within the NFL's official policy.
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Here's what to know about the NFL's gambling policy for 2023 and which players were suspended in 2023 for violating it.
NFL gambling policy 2023
The NFL's gambling policy for 2023 contains within it some nuance, but it largely boils down to six key points. They were shared by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who reported that they were discussed on an NFL conference call in June.
- Don't bet on the NFL
- Don't gamble on any sports at your team facility, while traveling for a road game, or staying at a team hotel
- Don't have someone bet for you
- Don't share team "inside information"
- Don't enter a sportsbook during the NFL playing season
- Don't play daily fantasy football
The major takeaway from this is that NFL players cannot bet on any NFL-related business. Whether it's their games, another team's games, specific prop bets for each contest or future bets about the league, players and staff must abstain from making bets.
This isn't just limited to the NFL season. NFL players and personnel can't bet on any league-related activities. That includes the NFL Draft, NFL Combine, Pro Bowl, NFL Honors and more.
Essentially, if the players can either impact the wager being placed or have access to inside information about it, then they cannot place bets on it. That makes many of these rules — like not having a proxy bettor, not sharing inside information and abstaining from daily fantasy football — self-explanatory.
However, the restrictions on gambling at team facilities were evidently lesser known. While NFL players are allowed to wager on non-NFL sports on their own time — in states where it is legal to do so — they cannot do so while at a team facility.
The definition of a team facility is rather wide-ranging. It covers not just practice facilities (including parking lots) but also team hotels, team-sanctioned travel and team-related events. Many of the players suspended for six games during the 2023 offseason picked up their punishments for gambling while at a team facility on non-NFL sports, so that appears to be a key area of confusion.
The NFL is attempting to emphasize education about the league's gambling policy in an effort to back up this crackdown and avoid future suspensions. If the league can continue to communicate this effectively, that should help mitigate this problem.
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Why is it illegal for NFL players to bet on NFL games?
The NFL doesn't want its players betting on NFL games for several reasons. But, per usual, as stated in the NFL's gambling policy, the No. 1 concern of the league is the so-called integrity of the game.
Gambling, particularly betting on NFL games or other sports, presents risks to the integrity of our competition and team cohesion, and can undermine the confidence and trust of our fans and colleagues in America’s greatest game. We therefore owe it to our fans, and everyone associated with the League, to take all appropriate steps to safeguard our game against possible threats from illegal gambling as well as gambling in a legal, regulated context.
What does this mean, exactly? The concept is wide-ranging, but in its simplest form, the NFL's goal is to avoid any sort of conversation or speculation that its games are rigged.
If a player were to bet on a game in which they were participating, they could purposely impact its outcome by either trying to throw the game or shaving points to cover a specific spread. If found out, that would create a crisis in confidence among fans and bettors, which could come with accusations that the results of each game are scripted or rigged.
But why can't an NFL player bet on games not involving his team? Well, NFL players are privy to certain inside information about teams that others aren't. The players could potentially use this to their advantage in any potential bets; that would create an unlevel playing field for those betting on the contest, as acknowledged in the NFL's gambling policy:
Unless duly authorized, NFL Personnel are prohibited, whether directly or indirectly, from using, disclosing or providing access to confidential, non-public information regarding any NFL game or event, including but not limited to: (a) a participant’s availability for or performance in an NFL game or event; or (b) personnel-related decisions regarding an official, player, coach, team manager, or League or Club executive, including team rosters and game working assignments. NFL Personnel must report any known request for, disclosure of, or possible disclosure of such information.
Additionally, NFL players are friendly with more than just their professional teammates around the league. As such, the same risk exists that a player could convince another player to either throw a game or point shave to help him win a bet. This would also anger fans, erode confidence in sportsbooks and, ultimately, impact the NFL's bottom line.
In short, there are minimal rewards and massive risks in allowing players to bet on NFL games. For that reason, the NFL disallows the practice entirely; and while the league is embracing its gambling partners, it still wants to keep the practice at an arm's length from its players and personnel to avoid creating any unsavory controversy.
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Can NFL players bet on other sports?
Yes, NFL players are allowed to bet on other sports in states where it is legal to do so. There is, however, a catch: they cannot make these bets while at any NFL facility or venue.
That may not sound difficult to most. That said, the definition of a "league facility or venue" is rather wide-ranging, and includes a team's practice facility, stadium, team hotel or any NFL or team-sponsored event. The league's gambling policy also prohibits its players from gambling while "on any League or club charter or other transport; while traveling on club or League business; or while making an endorsement or promotional appearance."
The restrictive nature of this policy makes it more difficult for players to bet on other sports. And while the suspension for doing so at a league facility, venue or event is less than those that bet on NFL games, the six-game ban is still enough to drive many players away from wagering on sporting events.
NFL players suspended for gambling in 2023
Below is a run-down of the 10 players suspended to date for all or part of the 2023 season for violating the league's gambling policy:
Jameson Williams
- Team: Lions
- Position: Wide receiver
- Suspension length: 6 games
Williams was among the NFL's highest-profile gambling suspensions but didn't get a full-year ban. Instead, the 2022 first-round pick will miss six games after he bet on college football games while at the Lions' practice facility. The league's gambling policy allows players to bet on non-NFL competitions, but bets cannot be placed within an NFL facility.
Williams played sparingly during his rookie season as he recovered from a torn ACL he suffered while playing at Alabama. As a result, he only caught one pass for 41 yards and a touchdown in 2022. Still, the Lions had big plans for him to step up across from Amon-Ra St. Brown in 2023, so his absence will be impactful considering the team's lack of depth at receiver.
MORE: Explaining the Jameson Williams gambling suspension
Stanley Berryhill
- Team: Free agent
- Position: Wide receiver
- Suspension length: 6 games
One of the reasons the Lions don't have great depth at receiver? Williams wasn't the only one of their pass-catchers suspended for violating the league's gambling policy. Like Williams, Berryhill bet on college games inside Detroit's practice facility; that led the NFL to suspend him for six games, and Berryhill was subsequently released by the Lions.
Berryhill has never played in an NFL game, but the 2022 undrafted free agent was with the Lions' practice squad last season. He could have provided the team with some experienced depth but instead will be searching for his next opportunity to prove himself.
Quintez Cephus
- Team: Free agent
- Position: Wide receiver
- Suspension length: Indefinite (at least one year)
Cephus was also among the Lions receivers suspended as a part of the NFL's probe into the team. The 6-1, 208-pound receiver was granted a more severe punishment than Williams and Berryhill, as the investigation deemed that he had actually bet on NFL games. That was enough for the league to suspend him indefinitely and for a period of at least one year.
The Lions released Cephus after this news broke. The Wisconsin product logged 37 catches, 568 yards and four touchdowns over three seasons (22 games) in Detroit. That said, he played in just four games in 2022 and caught two passes, so he may have already been on the way out before his suspension.
C.J. Moore
- Team: Free agent
- Position: Safety
- Suspension length: Indefinite (at least one year)
Moore was Detroit's only non-receiver to be suspended as part of the Williams probe. Moore, a safety, received a year-long ban for betting on NFL games. The Lions parted ways with him shortly after that announcement, much like they did with Berryhill and Cephus.
Moore, 27, had been a key reserve safety and special teams player for the Lions in his four seasons with the team. His best season came in 2021, when he logged 22 tackles and an interception in 17 games (one start).
Shaka Toney
- Team: Commanders
- Position: Edge rusher
- Suspension length: Indefinite (at least one year)
Five players in total were suspended when Williams' six-game ban was announced. The only non-Lion among them was Toney. The league found that the Commanders edge rusher bet on NFL games, so he was suspended for a full season.
Washington decided to keep Toney on its roster, so he won't have to look for work if he returns to the NFL. To date, the 2021 seventh-round pick has racked up 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks in limited action over 26 games.
Isaiah Rodgers Sr.
- Team: Eagles
- Position: Cornerback
- Suspension length: Indefinite (at least one year)
Rodgers was the headliner of the NFL's second major gambling investigation. The Colts' top cornerback reportedly placed "hundreds" of bets on NFL games, including those played by Indianapolis. It isn't clear which side he backed in those Colts bets, but the NFL slapped him with a major punishment because of them.
Rodgers, 25, was released by the Colts because of actions. This came despite him racking up 90 tackles, three interceptions and 10 pass defenses in three years with the team and being its best young cornerback. Rodgers landed with the Eagles on eve of the 2023 NFL season, but his NFL future remains murky at best.
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Rashod Berry
- Team: Free agent
- Position: Outside linebacker
- Suspension length: Indefinite (at least one year)
In addition to Rodgers, Berry was suspended for a full season as part of the investigation into the Colts. The veteran linebacker was granted a year-long ban as well ane was promptly waived by Indianapolis.
Unlike Rodgers, Berry didn't land on his feet. He remains unsigned, and it appears that his four career tackles in eight games with the Patriots and Lions may be his final NFL stat-line.
Demetrius Taylor
- Team: Free agent
- Position: Defensive tackle
- Suspension length: Indefinite (at least one year)
Taylor wasn't with a team at the time of his suspension. However, he spent the 2022 season with the Lions after making their 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent. That makes Taylor one of five players suspended who are tied to Detroit.
Nicholas Petit-Frere
- Team: Titans
- Position: Offensive tackle
- Suspension length: 6 games
Petit-Frere started 16 games for the Titans during his rookie season, and he is expected to reprise that role at right tackle in 2023. However, Tennessee won't have him for the first six games of the season, as he bet on non-NFL games while in a team facility.
During the 2022 season, Petit-Frere allowed five sacks and committed eight penalties. He was graded by Pro Football Focus as the NFL's 74th-best tackle out of 81 qualifiers. While the 23-year-old has immense upside, the Titans may be OK without him as the experienced Daniel Brunskill prepares to replace him.
Eyioma Uwazurike
- Team: Broncos
- Position: Defensive lineman
- Suspension length: Indefinite (at least one year)
Uwazurike used to be best known for being selected with the fourth-round pick that Denver got as a part of the Russell Wilson trade. Now, he is known for being one of the relatively few players on the NFL's all-time gambling suspension list.
Ironically, Uwazurike played his college ball at Iowa State, a program that is in the midst of its own gambling scandal. The 2022 fourth-round pick recorded 17 tackles and a pass defense in eight games during his rookie season.
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History of NFL players suspended for gambling
The NFL's first gambling suspensions came back in 1963, when Pro Football Hall of Famers Alex Karras and Paul Hornung were suspended for a full season after betting on NFL games.
After that, gambling suspensions were rather sparse. Just three players were suspended for violating the league's policy from 1964 through 2022. In 2023 alone, 10 players have received bans of at least six games from the NFL.
Below is a look at the 14 players who have received gambling suspensions from the NFL to date:
| Year | Player | Team | Suspension length |
| 1963 | Alex Karras | Lions | One year |
| 1963 | Paul Hornung | Packers | One year |
| 1983 | Art Schlichter | Colts | One year |
| 2019 | Josh Shaw | Cardinals | One year |
| 2022 | Calvin Ridley | Falcons | One year |
| 2023 | Jameson Williams | Lions | Six games |
| 2023 | Stanley Berryhill | Lions | Six games |
| 2023 | Quintez Cephus | Lions | At least one year |
| 2023 | C.J. Moore | Lions | At least one year |
| 2023 | Shaka Toney | Commanders | At least one year |
| 2023 | Isaiah Rodgers | Colts | At least one year |
| 2023 | Rashod Berry | Colts | At least one year |
| 2023 | Demetrius Taylor | Free agent | At least one year |
| 2023 | Nicholas Petit-Frere | Titans | Six games |
| 2023 | Eyioma Uwazurike | Broncos | At least one year |
For more about the suspensions of Karras, Hornung, Schlichter and Shaw, you can click here.
