Detroit Lions’ top draft pick hit with major suspension

On Friday, news broke that multiple players, mostly Detroit Lions’ players, were hit with suspensions of varying degrees for breaking NFL’s gambling policy.  This is major, major news, especially considering Jacksonville Jaguars’ wide receiver Calvin Ridley just served a one year suspension for betting on games.

Now, a handful of other players will endure suspensions.

Here’s the breaking news from insider Ian Rapoport:

Three players got hit with one year suspensions, and two players will serve six game suspensions.  The most notable name of this bunch is second year Detroit Lions’ wide receiver Jameson Williams out of Alabama.

He was the 12th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and saw limited action in 2022 because of a torn ACL he suffered in college.  He caught one pass for 41 yards and scored a touchdown in his rookie campaign, which effectively was a wash.

Now, he’ll miss at least six games in 2023 because of this suspension.  Surely, we’ll find out the specifics of the gambling, but it’s baffling to see players even risk something like this.

You’re a professional athlete, the 1% of the 1%, and risk for playing careers over something silly like this?  Man, I just do not get it.

This is especially tough to see for Jameson Williams, who was likely going to take on a much bigger role in 2023, and given the culture the Detroit Lions are building, having their players being intertwined in something like this is just saddening.

Hopefully, Williams and the rest of the suspended players, who include CJ Moore, Quintez Cephus, Shaka Toney, and Stanley Berryhill can learn from their mistakes, serve their suspensions, and get on with their lives.

Now, this could have a huge impact on the Lions’ offense going into the first six games of the 2023 season.  We’ll see how they address their wide receiver room now that they’re going to be missing Williams for some time.