After a plethora of suspensions over the last two years, the National Football League is making some significant changes to it’s gambling polices.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL has increased penalties for players gambling on NFL games. Now, players who place wagers on NFL games will be automatically suspended for one year. If a player bets on his team, he will be suspended for two years. Any game-fixing for gambling purposes will lead to a life-time ban from the league.
While the penalty of wagering bets on NFL games has increased, the league reduced penalties for players who bet on non-NFL games at work. The first violating for non-NFL gambling will lead to a two-game suspension with the second violation results in a six-game suspension. A third violation will lead to a one-year suspension.
With the changes going into effect immediately, the NFL has lifted the suspension on Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Nick Petit-Frere and Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams. Both are set to be reinstated on Monday. Petit-Frere was suspended initially for six games for gambling on non-NFL games at team facilities, and Williams was suspended six games for betting on college football games at the team facility.
Williams, the Lions No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, said when he was suspended that he wasn’t aware of the policy.
Both Williams and Petit-Frere will have served four games of their six-game suspensions when they are reinstated. Under the new policy, the two would’ve been suspended for two games each for their violations.
The league is hoping these clear-cut rules will eliminate the issue of player’s gambling on games.
