The cautionary tale of wide receiver Calvin Ridley clearly wasn't enough.
After the wide receiver was handed a one-year ban for betting on NFL games, other players across the league have been handed suspensions for the same violations. Despite the NFL's urgings to players and personnel, they've continued to do it, leading to a new wave of gambling suspensions for players.
On June 29, the NFL announced it has suspended Colts teammates Isaiah Rodgers and Rashod Berry and free agent Demetrius Taylor indefinitely for betting on NFL games. The league also suspended Titans tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere for six games for betting at a team facility.
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Earlier in the offseason, a group of Lions wide receivers, including 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams, was suspended for wagering, as well.
Here's what to know about the players who were suspended, what they violated and what you need to know about the NFL's gambling policy:
NFL gambling suspensions: Who was suspended for betting?
On June 28, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the NFL was planning to suspend several more players for defying the league's policy of sports betting and gambling. On June 29, the names were released.
— Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and edge rusher Rashod Berry and free agent defensive tackle Demetrius Taylor will miss at least the entire 2023 season as part of their indefinite suspensions. The NFL said those three bet on NFL games during the 2022 season and will be able to petition for reinstatement for the 2024 season.
Berry was on the Jaguars' practice squad for part of last season but did not play. He signed with the Colts in January. Taylor was on the Lions' practice squad last year and also did not play.
The Colts waived Rodgers and Berry shortly after the suspension came down, leaving all three players without a team for the upcoming season.
"The integrity of the game is of the utmost importance," Colts GM Chris Ballard said in a release. "As an organization we will continue to educate our players, coaches, and staff on the policies in place and the significant consequences that may occur with violations."
According to ESPN's David Purdum, Rodgers placed a wager on the over/under for a Colts running back during a 2022 game.
MORE: What to know about Isaiah Rodgers betting investigation
— Titans offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere was the first in the next wave of gambling suspensions, being handed a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's gambling policy. Petit-Frere says he didn't knowingly break the rules in a statement released a statement regarding the suspension:
The NFL plans to announce another round of sanctions regarding its gambling policies and I will be included in this group of players receiving a six-game suspension. The betting I engaged in was NOT NFL related and was legal under Tennessee law. It is only being sanctioned because it occurred at the Titans facility. …
I did not knowingly break the rules. Even after attending a league presentation, I was unaware about the specifics around placing bets from a team facility.
The NFL said Petit-Frere will be allowed to participate in offseason activities and play in preseason games.
This story will be updated.
NFL gambling policy
The NFL makes it abundantly clear in their policy that players and non-player personnel cannot bet on NFL games. That includes placing bets through third-party, betting on practices or otherwise. The NFL's policy also says that it includes betting on stats, outcomes, score or any kind of prop bet.
To that end, NFL players are allowed to bet on other sports, including college sports, baseball, basketball and so forth, as long as those bets don't take place in a "club or league setting." That includes the team facility, buses, trains, flights or hotels with their teams. NFL personnel (non-players) is strictly prohibited from any kind of sports betting or wagering.
The punishment for violating the policy is operated on a case-by-case basis, but some players have been handed a yearlong ban, while others have received six games for their role in gambling.