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Five NFL players have been suspended for violating National Football League gambling rules, the league announced today.
The rules prohibit all NFL members from engaging in any gambling at league facilities or facilities, including practice facilities. The league said its review found no evidence of insider trading.
No games were affected consequently of gambling, the NFL added.
Three players – Quintez Cephus and CJ Moore of the Detroit Lions and Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders – might be suspended indefinitely, at the very least until the tip of the 2023 season, for betting on NFL games last season.
These players will find a way to petition to be reinstated at the tip of the season.
Two other Lions players – Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams – were suspended in the primary six games of the regular season. They are going to find a way to take part in off-season and pre-season activities.
Quintez Cephus #87 of the Detroit Lions catches the ball for the primary time within the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium on Oct. 10, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)
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The crackdown on the NFL comes as 33 states, including Michigan and Washington, have launched legal betting markets since a landmark 2018 U.S. Supreme Court case that paved the way in which for states to supply legal sports betting.
Earlier this week, the main skilled leagues – the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, NASCAR and MLS – announced that they might join media firms NBCUniversal and Fox to form a coalition to control sports betting promoting that floods television, web and printed media.
Shortly after the suspension was announced, the Detroit Lions said they were releasing Cephus and Moore. In response to ESPNThe Lions became aware of the NFL investigation “a couple of month ago.”
“We’re dissatisfied with the decision-making demonstrated by Stanley and Jameson and can work with each players to make sure they understand the seriousness of those violations and are clear concerning the league’s rules moving forward,” said Brad Holmes, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Detroit Lions. he said in a press release.
Commanders said the team is aware of Toney’s suspension. “We’ve fully cooperated with the NFL’s investigation since receiving the notification and support the league’s findings and actions,” the team said in a press release.
Shaka Toney #58 of the Washington Commanders stands throughout the national anthem against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Houston, Texas.
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The Toney Suspension is the Commanders latest hit. Last week, the District Attorney General said Commanders would pay $625,000 to settle allegations that the organization didn’t reimburse fans for ticket deposits.
Former DC Attorney General Karl Racine, who sued commanders last 12 months, claimed that since 1996 the soccer team had promised to return fans’ security deposits for premium seats, but as a substitute scooped up the cash and spent it.
A Commanders spokesman said in a press release that the team had not collected margin deposits for greater than a decade and had been “actively working to return any remaining deposits since 2014.”
Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.