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Sports gambling suspensions and violations are piling up left and right for NFL players — but how far can this go to halt the violations?
Several veteran coaches are taking a proactive approach to save their players from dooming themselves and their teams.
Commanders coach Ron Rivera told reporters that he had his team go through its annual presentation on betting with a little extra emphasis and will follow it with one from the league.
“It’s a presentation we will do during training camp as well again,” he said.
“[It’s] just so we continue to hammer these things home that we’ve got to be very, very careful and understand that the integrity of the league, and integrity of each team, and the player’s own integrity, and coaches’ integrity, for that matter, are at stake. And we have to be very diligent about that.”
Ron Rivera is being proactive about educating his players after losing Shaka Toney to a sports betting violation suspension. Getty Images
And then there’s the “Patriot Way,” which apparently doesn’t include sports betting.
Online wagering recently went live in Massachusetts, and coach Bill Belichick was clear with his players on the risks of gambling as an NFL player.
“Bill Belichick actually talked about that in very large detail,” Patriots defensive lineman Deatrich Wise said after OTA’s on Tuesday. “He always tells us what we need to do, what we need to stay away from. We had a whole meeting just about that. We do a good job of learning from Coach Belichick.”
Bill Belichick wants his players to stay away from sports betting Getty Images
Jameson Williams will be suspended for the first six games of the NFL season for sports betting. Getty ImagesBelichick and Rivera are among the first known coaches attempting to stave off sports betting suspensions as the NFL continues to investigate players suspected of gambling.
Nine NFL players have been suspended for gambling violations since 2019 — five this offseason — and all have resulted in lengthy suspensions:
- *Jameson Williams, DET (6 games)
- *Stanley Berryhill, DET (6 games)
- *Quintez Cephus, DET (One year)
- *C.J. Moore, DET (One year)
- *Shaka Toney, WSH (One year)
- Calvin Ridley, ATL (One year)
- Miles Austin, NYJ WR Coach (One year)
- Josh Shaw, ARI (One year)
Williams, Berryhill, Cephus, Moore and Toney will all serve their suspensions this season, and may be joined by Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who is currently under investigation by the NFL.
Calvin Ridley served his one-year suspension and will return to the league with the Jaguars. Getty ImagesBetting on the NFL?
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In addition to players, several team staffers were outright fired for their involvement in sports betting.
Ex-Falcons star receiver Calvin Ridley was caught placing multi-leg parlays in November of 2021 and was suspended for the 2022 season.
He has since been traded to the Jaguars, where he hopes to latch on as a major offensive contributor.
