NFL Veteran Doesn't Think Players Knew Details of Gambling Policy Before Suspensions

In April, five NFL players were suspended for violating the league's gambling policy. Detroit Lions wideouts Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill were suspended six games each for placing bets on another sport while on team property, while receiver Quintez Cephus, safety C.J. Moore and Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney were suspended indefinitely.

The Lions responded by cutting Cephus, Berryhill and Moore.

But for many NFL players who weren't aware of the league's gambling rules, the suspensions were eye-opening.

"I had no idea," one seven-year veteran told Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic about the rule outlawing players from placing bets on team property, even on different sports. "I don't think any player knows about that. That's so specific. If players know about that, kudos to them."

"I don't even know what the rule is, or when the rule changed or the fine print on what you can or can't gamble on," a 10-year veteran added.

Some players have noted since April's suspensions, however, that their coaching staffs have more actively discussed the league's gambling policy during offseason programs.

"They detailed the rule, and to that point I hadn't been in many team meetings that they carved out time for it," a nine-year veteran told Kahler. "It's like a page in your training camp compliance meetings. They spend like four minutes on it. It's like, yeah, don't gamble on the NFL. You guys know this. Nobody spends time on it."

As more leagues and sports owners embrace gambling after years of shunning it—and as mobile apps have made betting sites more accessible than ever and more states around the United States have legalized gambling on sports—the sporting community's relationship to betting has grown more complicated.

On one hand, sports leagues have tapped into a whole new revenue stream while partnering with betting sites. On the other, the risk of players, coaches or referees gambling on the games they are participating in is an ever-present threat to the integrity of the sport.

"It's been normalized so much in society that it's inevitable it's gonna leak into sports in terms of having to address it with players and coaches," one player told Kahler about the relationship between the NFL and sports betting sites. "If you wanted to gamble 10 years ago, you had to go through some bookie, I'm sure. You really had to want to gamble. Now, the way it is marketed—and the access is so easy—it's crazy."