Fifth Lions Player Reportedly Being Investigated for Gambling Violation

The NFL is reportedly investigating a fifth player on the 2022 Detroit Lions for potentially violating the league’s gambling policy. In April, the NFL announced suspensions of four players from the 2022 Lions for gambling policy violations.

According to The Athletic, the fifth Lions player being investigated was “not a prominent member” of last year’s team, and he has yet to be interviewed by the NFL’s investigator. 

On April 21, the NFL gave indefinite suspensions to safety C.J. Moore and wide receiver Quintez Cephus for betting on NFL games. Lions wide receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams were suspended six games for placing mobile bets on non-NFL action while at the team’s practice facility, violating the league’s gambling policy. A fifth player, Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney, was also suspended indefinitely by the NFL in April. 

Moore, Cephus, and Berryhill were released from the Lions. Williams, the No. 12 pick of the 2022 draft, remained on the Lions and said he didn’t know about the league’s gambling policy.

“It hit me out the blue, and it hit a couple other players around the league and on my team out the blue,” Williams said, according to ESPN. “I wasn’t aware of this situation, but as it happened, I took it on the chin.”

Earlier this week, ESPN reported that the NFL is investigating a “second wave” of potential gambling violations after five players were suspended in April. 

The NFL’s continued gambling policy investigation comes as three recent betting scandals hit the NCAA—with Iowa and Iowa State announcing investigations into at least 41 student-athletes earlier this month. University of Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon was fired in early May for his reported connection to bets on LSU’s baseball team to beat Alabama. 

The National Federation of State High School Associations referenced the NFL and NCAA betting scandals in a video released Wednesday by the NFHS on the dangers betting could pose to high school sports.

“As legal sports betting has expanded following the Supreme Court’s ruling five years ago, the number of athletes and coaches betting on games has been on the rise,” NFHS CEO Karissa Niehoff said in the video. … “This should serve as a wake-up call for parents, student-athletes, athletic directors, and coaches at the high school level.”