The Detroit Lions faced early adversity during the 2023 NFL season. That adversity involved sports betting because multiple players were suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. As a result, the Lions had to make the tough decision to release these players.
Now, it appears that these players will get a second chance in the NFL. Read below to find out more.
Former Detroit Lions Players Reinstated
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, several players who were suspended due to gambling last year have been reinstated by the NFL. At the time, some of these players were suspended indefinitely and had to apply for reinstation once the 2023 NFL season concluded. Now, that process is complete.
So, which players are returning to the NFL? Well, three of them used to be on the Detroit Lions. These three players are WR Quintez Cephus, S C.J. Moore, and DL Demetrius Taylor.
Right now, all three of these players are free agents. However, they will all now have the chance to find new homes.
Looking Back on Their Careers
Did these three players have notable careers before these gambling suspensions happened? Well, not exactly.
Let’s start with C.J. Moore. He has only played four seasons in the NFL. During that time, he had an interception, a fumble recovery, and 48 combined tackles.
Cephus spent three years with the Detroit Lions. In that stretch, he had 37 catches for 568 receiving yards, along with four touchdown receptions.
Then, there is Dmetrius Taylor. He has arguably had the least notable career of the bunch. Taylor has played just one game in his NFL career.
Other Notable Gambling Controversy in Sports
The NFL is not the only sports league taking a hard stance on gambling. Recently, there was a major sports betting case in the NBA that resulted in Jontay Porter getting banned for life. However, when you look at the details of that case, you can see why the NBA took a stronger stance on him compared to these NFL players.
You see, Porter’s case was more than just betting on sports. He was also involved in point shaving as well as giving away insider information on the status of certain players (including himself).
With a case like that, you can understand why a player may get banned indefinitely. However, you can argue the integrity of sports leagues is fragile enough that the NFL has to take at least some action on players like this. Even if they are making the same bets an average fan would make.
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