Getty Head coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions had another one of their 2022 players suspended for gambling violations.
The NFL is cracking down on gambling violations again.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the NFL has indefinitely suspended Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and defensive end Rashod Berry. Former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Demetrius Taylor also received an indefinite suspension.
Isaiah Rodgers and Rashod Berry of the Indianapolis Colts and free agent Demetrius Taylor are being suspended indefinitely through at least the the 2023 season for betting on NFL games last season.
All three players will be out through at least the 2023 season.
Rodgers and Berry also joined Taylor in the free agent market on June 29. The Colts announced the release of both Rodgers and Berry less than an hour after Schefter’s report.
At least for now, this puts an end to the suspensions related to gambling violations for the Lions.
The Athletic’s Kalyn Kahler reported on May 26 that a fifth player from the 2022 Lions roster was under investigation for a potential violation of the league’s gambling policy. Kahler did not name the player at the time of her report.
The Lions released Taylor, who was an undrafted free agent in 2022, on May 9.
NFL Suspends Fifth 2022 Lions Player for Gambling Violations
No team has been more impacted from the NFL enforcing its gambling rules this offseason than the Lions.
In the first wave of gambling-related suspensions, the NFL punished five players. Four of those five players were from the Lions.
Wide receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore received indefinite suspensions for betting on NFL games. The Lions released both players immediately.
Ironically, wide receiver Stanley Berryhill, who received a six-game suspension, was cut on May 9, which was the same day as Taylor’s release.
#Lions have waived WR Stanley Berryhill, CB Mac McCain and DL Demetrius Taylor.
The only player remaining on Detroit’s roster who received a gambling-related suspension is 2022 first-round pick and wide receiver Jameson Williams. He will miss the first six games of the 2023 season.
Williams and Berryhill received six-game suspensions because they bet on something other than NFL games at the team facility. The NFL suspended Cephus, Moore and Taylor indefinitely for betting on NFL games.
They can apply for reinstatement to the league after sitting out one year.
Lions Impact From Demetrius Taylor Suspension
It’s difficult to spin Detroit’s involvement in the NFL gambling scandal positively. Even one of the Colts players, Berry, has a tie to the Lions organization.
Berry spent the 2021 season on the Lions roster.
But the good news is Taylor’s suspension will not have a direct impact on Detroit’s 2023 season because he was already released.
Because Kahler left Taylor anonymous in her May 26 report, there was a concern that the fifth Lions player under investigation could be a significant contributor. As previously mention, the Lions will be without Williams for the first month and a half of the regular season, which hurts their receiver depth.
Taylor’s suspension, though, means that Williams remains the only current Lions player impacted from the gambling violations.
Hopefully for the Lions, this marks the end of the scandal. There are no reports of any current or ongoing investigations into more potential NFL gambling violations at this time.
The NFL has made it a recent goal to enforce its anti-gambling rules for its players. Since 2019, seven players have received gambling-related suspensions.
The most notable player to receive a season-long suspension for a gambling violation was former first-round pick Calvin Ridley.
The ex-Atlanta Falcons wide receiver missed the entire 2022 season. He will make his return to the league this year for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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