- Betting on the NFL: Indefinite ban for at least a year or two if the bet is on one’s own team
- Actual or attempted game fixing: permanent ban from competition
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National Football League players who gamble on NFL games will face harsher penalties under the league’s revised gambling policy, according to a memo shared Friday.
Players who bet on games involving their own team face a minimum two-year suspension, while betting on an NFL game results in a minimum one-year suspension.
“The revised NFL Player Gambling Policy we are issuing today provides that clarity and focus, and provides players with clear guidance on the consequences of violating the policy,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the memo released to clubs.
Players can still bet on legal non-NFL business, as long as it is done outside of the workplace. However, if it happens in the workplace, including places like the locker room and the gym, they will be punished.
They risk a two-match suspension for the first offense and heavier penalties for subsequent offences.
The NFL’s new gambling policy will punish players more severely for betting on their own teams
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said changes to the policy will bring clarity and focus to players
Nicholas Petit-Frere has been cleared to rejoin the Titans thanks to the league’s latest policy
Actual or attempted game fixing would result in a permanent “ban” from the NFL.
The league said it was working with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) to develop a program to educate players about policy changes.
“The NFL and the NFL Players Association share a long-standing and unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of the game,” the league and the NFLPA said in a joint statement.
“The NFL periodically reviews its gambling policy in consultation with the NFLPA and clubs to ensure it is responsive to changing circumstances and fully meets this commitment.”
Lions wideout Jameson Williams returns to Detroit after missing the team’s first four games
WR Stanley Berryhill, who is now a free agent, will be eligible to sign for any team on October 3
Several NFL players have been punished for gambling in the past two years as sports betting has become legal in more US states and increasingly accessible.
In May, the players’ union sounded the alarm over the use of sports betting apps, warning player agents that the mobile betting platforms can track the activities of their customers.
The policy changes outlined Friday also cleared the way for three players to be reinstated after they were previously suspended for six games each for betting on non-NFL games at a club facility.
Nicholas Petit-Frere of the Tennessee Titans and Jameson Williams of the Detroit Lions will be cleared to rejoin their teams on October 2, while free agent Stanley Berryhill will regain eligibility on October 3.