Jameson Williams Suspended Six Games for Gambling

Four Detroit Lions players, including Alabama alumnus Jameson Williams, and one Washington Commanders player have been suspended by the NFL for violating the league's policy regarding gambling.

Shaka Toney of the Commanders and Quintez Cephus, and CJ Moore of the Lions have been suspended indefinitely (with a one year minimum), similar to Calvin Ridley, who bet on an NFL game while he was away from his team for mental health reasons.

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The Lions have since waived Cephus and Moore.

Williams, along with Stanley Berryhill, have only been suspended for six games because they did not place bets on anything to do with the NFL. However, they violated a technicality of the policy when they placed those unrelated bets from the Lions' facility.

Williams' agent released a statement shortly after the announcement was made.

“Alliance Sports confirms that its client, Jameson Williams, has been suspended by the NFL for six games for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.  Jameson takes full responsibility for his actions and is very apologetic to the NFL, his teammates and the fans and city of Detroit.  However, it is important to note that Jameson’s violation was not for betting on football but rather due to a technical rule regarding the actual location in which the online bet was placed - and which would otherwise be allowed by the NFL outside of the club’s facility. Jameson would never intentionally jeopardize the integrity of the game he loves so much and looks forward to getting back to his team as soon as possible.”

The Lions released a statement of their own via general manager Brad Holmes.

"As a result of an NFL investigation, it came to our attention that a few of our players had violated the league's gambling policy. These players exhibited decision making that is not consistent with our organizational values and violates league rules. We have made the decision to part ways with Quintez and C.J. immediately. We are disappointed by the decision making demonstrated by Stanley and Jameson and will work with both players to ensure they understand the severity of these violations and have clarity on the league rules moving forward."

Williams missed the majority of his rookie season recovering from the ACL tear he suffered during the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs. His return to full health this season was highly anticipated, but now fans will have to wait an additional six weeks.