NFL Player Reportedly Lost $8M Gambling in 2022 amid Suspensions for Rule Violations

Amid a recent string of gambling-policy violations in the NFL, one player apparently lost a significant sum of money on bets in 2022.

Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the unnamed player lost $8 million gambling last season.

The report comes after the NFL suspended five players in April for violating its gambling policy. The league is also investigating Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers Sr. for potential gambling violations.

The Athletic's Kayln Kahler reported on May 26 that a fifth Detroit Lions player is being investigated by the league for a potential gambling violation. Wide receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams received six-game suspensions in the initial wave announced in April.

Former Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus, safety C.J. Moore and Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney were suspended for the entire 2023 season and must apply for reinstatement after that.

As sports betting has become more regulated across the country, leagues have jumped on the bandwagon. A number of stadiums and arenas in all four major sports (NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL) have a sportsbook set up where fans can bet on games.

The leagues do have their own unique rules regarding players and employees betting on games. NFL players and personnel are prevented from betting on NFL games, wagering on games when they are in any NFL facility, entering a sportsbook during the season and disclosing any nonpublic league information.

In a June 5 story from Kahler, five different players said they knew the policy banned them from betting on NFL games, but four of the five players admitted they were unaware they are prohibited from placing mobile bets on other sports while they were at the team's facilities.

One nine-year veteran told Kahler his coaches have spent more time discussing the gambling policy in the wake of the original wave of suspensions announced in April.

"They detailed the rule, and to that point I hadn't been in many team meetings that they carved out time for it," the player said. "It's like a page in your training camp compliance meetings. They spend like four minutes on it."

In response to the uncertainty expressed by players, Florio wrote Monday that the NFL forwarded him a document that summarizes the league's efforts to educate players and coaches about the requirements of the policy:

"The document reviews the NFL-required training for players and coaches in 2023. Rookies watch a training video from NFL Compliance, and the league has "strongly encouraged all teams to have an in-person training presentation from a member of the NFL's Compliance team.

"Absent in-person training session, a video explaining the policy and its key requirements is shown to all players and coaches."

Florio also noted teams provide in-person training sessions, and the full policy is provided in the player manual that gets distributed each year.

The NFL first adopted a gambling policy for all league personnel in 2018 following a ruling from the United States Supreme Court that struck down a federal ban on state-authorized sports betting.

Seven players have been suspended since 2019 for violating the NFL's gambling policy. That doesn't include the players who are currently being investigated for potential violations.