NFL suspends 3 more players for betting on football

The NFL announced penalties on Thursday for four players who broke the league’s gambling rules.

Isaiah Rodgers, a cornerback who started nine games last season, and Rashod Berry, a reserve tight end, of the Indianapolis Colts and free agent defensive tackle Demetrius Taylor, who played in one game last season for the Detroit Lions, were suspended for on at least one year for betting on NFL games in the 2022 season.

Nicholas Petit-Frere, an offensive tackle with the Tennessee Titans, received a six-game suspension for betting on other sports while at the team’s facility. He may participate in training camps and pre-season practices and competitions.

The league did not immediately specify how the players’ violations were discovered.

The sanctions were the second wave of season-long suspensions in the space of two months. Seven NFL players have been suspended for the entire season in the past two years, a period in which pro football and other major sports have embraced legalized betting.

In April, NFL indefinitely suspended receiver Quintez Cephus and safety CJ Moore of the Detroit Lions and defensive end Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders after a league investigation found they had bet on football games during the 2022 season. As with the most recent suspensions, all are eligible to apply for reinstatement at the end of the 2023 season.

Two other Lions players, receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams, were served six games each for gambling violations, which the team said included betting from an NFL facility on other sporting events.

Receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for a season in March 2022 after betting on football games while away from the Atlanta Falcons to focus on his mental health. He was reinstated a year later and is expected to make his debut with the Jacksonville Jaguars in September.

League policy prohibits staff from placing or facilitating bets on NFL games, practices, or other events, such as the draft. Players may bet on other sports, but may not gamble in the workplace or on the job, including traveling to competitions or during promotional appearances on behalf of the league.

This is news in development that will be updated.