The NFL on Thursday announced penalties for four players who violated the league’s gambling rules.
Isaiah Rodgers, a cornerback who started nine games last season, and Rashod Berry, a reserve tight end from the Indianapolis Colts, and free agent defensive tackle Demetrius Taylor, who played one game last season for the Detroit Lions, were suspended. I went. At least one year for betting on NFL games in the 2022 season.
Tennessee Titans offensive player Nicolas Petit-Frère received a six-game suspension for betting on other games during a team facility. He will be allowed to participate in training camp and preseason drills and games.
An NFL spokesman declined to comment on the specifics of the investigation and how the league discovered the players’ violations.
Shortly after the NFL announced the suspensions, the Colts released Rodgers and Berry.
“The integrity of the game is of the utmost importance,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said in a statement. “As an organization, we will continue to educate our players, coaches and staff about existing policies and the significant consequences that result from violations.”
The Titans said in a statement that the team was aware of Petit-Frère’s suspension but announced no further disciplinary action.
“We trust Nick and know he has the deepest respect for the integrity of the game and our organization,” the team said.
A representative for Rodgers declined to comment. Representatives for Taylor, Berry and Petit-Frère did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The penalty was the second wave of season-long suspensions handed down over a two-month period. Seven NFL players have received full-season suspensions in the past two years, a period in which pro football and other major sports have embraced legalized betting revenue.
In April, the NFL indefinitely suspended receiver Quintez Cephus and safety CJ Moore of the Detroit Lions and defensive end Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders after a league investigation found that they cheated on football games during the 2022 season. The bet was made. Like the most recent suspensions, all are eligible to apply for reinstatement at the conclusion of the 2023 season.
Two other Lions players, receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jamison Williams, were each ejected six games for gambling violations, which the team said included betting from an NFL facility on other sporting events.
Receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for one season in March 2022 after betting on a football game while he was away from the Atlanta Falcons to focus on his mental health. He was reinstated a year later and is expected to make his debut in September with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
League policies prohibit personnel from placing or facilitating bets on any NFL game, practice or other event such as the draft. Players are allowed to bet on other sports, but may not gamble at the workplace or while working, including traveling to games or performing promotional appearances on behalf of the league.
In a conference call with reporters in June, Jeff Miller, the NFL’s vice president of communications, public affairs and policy, detailed the league’s efforts to educate players on gambling policy. Novices are required to attend sessions on the rules, and the N.F.L. Officials visited the teams to emphasize the betting rules.