Several NFL players are on the verge of being suspended by the league for violating the gambling policy, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The only player named is Isaiah Rodgers of the Indianapolis Colts, and he’s the subject of a league investigation of the policy, including possible bets placed on Colts games.
Last week, the NFL said it planned to reinforce its gambling policy to players. Every rookie player will be required to attend mandatory education sessions, and league officials are making in-person visits to team facilities to emphasize and clarify what activities are prohibited. The “key rules” of the gambling policy include not betting on the NFL, not betting at the team facility or a team hotel during a road game, not having someone bet for you, not sharing team “inside information,” not entering a sportsbook during the season and not playing daily fantasy football.
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Earlier this year, four Detroit Lions players and one Washington Commanders player were suspended for gambling violations. Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore were suspended indefinitely for betting on games, as was Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney. Lions wide receivers Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill will serve six-game suspensions for mobile betting that occurred at the team facility. This led the Lions to release Cephus, Moore and Berryhill.
Last year, wide receiver Calvin Riddley, who was playing with the Atlanta Falcons at the time, was suspended for the entire 2022 season for betting on NFL games while being away from the team. He was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the NFL reinstated him in March.
Rodgers, 25, was selected by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He plays cornerback and recorded 34 tackles, three passes defended and one forced fumble last season. Rodgers is also a kick returner and has one kick return for a touchdown in his career. Earlier this month, Rodgers went to Twitter to reaction the NFL’s investigation on him.
“I know I have made mistakes and I am willing to do whatever it takes to repair the situation,” Rodgers wrote. “The last thing I ever wanted to do was to be a distraction to the Colts organization, my coaches, and my teammates. I’ve let people down that I care about. I made an error in judgment and I am going to work hard to make sure that those mistakes are rectified through this process. It’s an honor to play in the NFL and I have never taken that lightly. I am very sorry for all of this.”
