NFL Reinstates 5 Players Who Were Suspended for Betting Offenses

The National Football League has decided to reinstate several players who had violated its strict rules on gambling. After skipping an entire season, the players will now be able to return to competing professionally.

All five players in question were suspended for violating the NFL’s gambling policy in 2023. For context, the league’s strict stance on gambling prohibits players and insider persons from engaging in any form of gambling in any club or league facility of property, including teams’ practice facilities.

The five players who violated the policy in 2023 include the Washington Commanders’ edge Shaka Toney and the former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Rashod Berry. Additionally, the NFL reinstated three ex-Detroit Lions players, including wide receiver Quintez Cephus, safety CJ Moore and defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor.

For context, the players received various bans because of their gambling violations. Cephus, Moore and Toney got the worst of it and received indefinite penalties. In April 2023, the league also handed six-game suspensions to two other Detroit Lions players, namely Jameson William and Stanley Berryhill.

The Colts’ Berry and Taylor, who was playing as a free agent at the time, on the other hand, were suspended in July. Back then, the league also issued an indefinite suspension to the club’s Isaiah Rodgers. The latter is yet to be unsuspended.

Of the five players reinstated by the NFL, only Toney remains on a team’s roster.

The NFL Is Very Strict about Its Betting Rules

Speaking of the NFL’s gambling rules, the league had issued a stern reminder to its 32 teams ahead of this February’s Big Game. Just before the legendary clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell highlighted the strict regulations surrounding any form of betting on the Super Bowl.

Goodell recognized the appeal of Las Vegas but reminded players that they should not engage in gambling, lest they face severe penalties.

However, a major change was that non-player personnel were granted temporary authorization to engage in casino gambling activities such as blackjack and slot machines during off-hours, which was a significant departure from the league’s usual policy.