On Thursday, the NFL officially reinstated five players after they served suspensions for various gambling infractions. The players reinstated are former Lions players wide receiver Quintez Cephus, safety C.J. Moore, and defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor, as well as Commanders wide receiver Shaka Toney and former Colts linebacker Rashod Berry.
The five players reinstated on Thursday were a part of several rounds of suspensions the NFL handed out last year due to gambling violations. Other suspensions included Jameson Williams, Stanley Berryhill and Nicholas Petit-Frere. While some served six-game suspensions, others were suspended for the whole year.
The NFL gambling rules state that a player can’t bet on league games. The other restrictions preclude players from placing bets while on team property. Also, while traveling for road games, players can’t wager from the hotel or while with the team in other areas.
With the rapid national expansion of online sports betting, gambling rates in the United States have dramatically increased. It’s no surprise the NFL has had to crack down on offenders more often in recent years. It’s a problem not limited to the NFL and its players, either.
NBA hits Jontay Porter with lifetime ban for gambling
The NBA announced a lifetime ban for Toronto Raptors two-way center Jontay Porter on Wednesday following an investigation into gambling allegations. The issue stemmed from prop bets placed on Porter from Jan. 26 to March 20. NBA officials found that Porter “disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, limited his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes and bet on NBA games.” Per the league’s press release, Porter’s actions are still under continued investigation.
According to the league’s initial findings, while traveling with the Raptors or Raptors 905, the NBA G League affiliate, Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account. These bets ranged in size from $15 to $22,000, for a total of $54,094. The total payout from these bets was $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965.
None of the bets involved any game in which Porter played. Three of the bets were multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game, in which Porter bet that the Raptors would lose. All three bets lost.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players.
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