NFL Mandates 2-Year Suspension For Gambling on Own Team

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Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images. Pictured: Bills vs Jets pregame view from the field, as we break down the NFL live betting for Week 1 on Monday Night Football.

The NFL issued new guidance on Friday that makes gambling on your own team a guaranteed two-year suspension.

So far, only Eagles kick returner Isaiah Rodgers and Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley have been accused of betting on their own teams.

Ridley was suspended indefinitely after having wagered on his then-team, the Falcons, under a pseudonym while he was away from the team, the NFL found in an investigation. That same investigation found zero evidence of tampering or match fixing. The receiver was then traded to the Jaguars and reinstated after one season. He has since emerged as Jacksonville's No. 1 receiver.

Meanwhile, Rodgers is suspended indefinitely for wagering on his own team, the Colts, during the 2022 season. It's not clear as of Friday whether his suspension will extend to two years — as opposed to the previously expected one season — as a result of the new guidance.

As part of the new rules, the suspension for betting on team facilities or on road trips will be reduced from a mandatory four-game suspension to a two-game suspension.

A second violation of that kind will result in a six-game suspension. Meanwhile, a third violation means at least a one year suspension.

NFL players are permitted to wager on any other sport besides football — only when they're away from team facilities, however.

Players like Titans offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere, Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams and former Lions wide receiver Stanley Berryhill were slapped with six-game suspensions for wagering on non-football sports or table games while on team facilities or on a road trip.

For their parts, Petit-Frere and Williams will be reinstated this week after serving four-game suspensions. Berryhill is now a free agent but is also free from suspension.

Any association with match fixing at all will mean a lifetime ban, according to the new rules.

"The NFL is strongly committed to protecting the integrity of our game," the league said in a statement. "As NFL players, you have a special responsibility to yourself and your legacy, your club and teammates, the fans, and the game to ensure that it is always played fairly, honestly and to the best of your ability."

Below is a list of all NFL gambling violations over the last two seasons.

Did He Bet On Football?

  • Eagles kick returner Isaiah Rodgers YES
  • Former Colts linebacker Rashod Berry YES
  • Former Lions linebacker Demetrius Taylor YES
  • Former Lions safety C.J. Moore YES
  • Former Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus YES
  • Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney YES
  • Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley YES
  • Titans offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere NO
  • Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams NO
  • Former Lions wide receiver Stanley Berryhill NO
  • Jets wide receiver coach Miles Austin NO

Did He Bet On Own Team?

  • Isaiah Rodgers YES
  • Rashod Berry UNCLEAR
  • Demetrius Taylor UNCLEAR
  • C.J. Moore UNCLEAR
  • Quintez Cephus UNCLEAR
  • Shaka Toney UNCLEAR
  • Calvin Ridley YES
  • Nicholas Petit-Frere NO
  • Jameson Williams NO
  • Stanley Berryhill NO
  • Miles Austin NO

Did They Bet On Team Facilities?

  • Isaiah Rodgers UNCLEAR
  • Rashod Berry UNCLEAR
  • Demetrius Taylor UNCLEAR
  • C.J. Moore UNCLEAR
  • Quintez Cephus UNCLEAR
  • Shaka Toney UNCLEAR
  • Calvin Ridley UNCLEAR
  • Nicholas Petit-Frere YES
  • Jameson Williams YES
  • Stanley Berryhill YES
  • Miles Austin YES
About the Author
Avery Yang is an editor at the Action Network who focuses on breaking news across the sports world and betting algorithms that try to predict eventual outcomes. He is also Darren Rovell's editor. Avery is a recent graduate from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He has written for the Washington Post, the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, (the old) Deadspin, MLB.com and others.

Follow Avery Yang @avery_yang on Twitter/X.

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