Former Lions DL Suspended Due to Gambling Violation

Former Detroit Lions DL penalized.

Former Detroit Lions defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor was suspended as part of a league-wide investigation into violations to the NFL's anti-gambling policy. 

It's the second wave of major suspensions handed out by the league this offseason.

The first came in April, and involved a total of five NFL players. Of the five, four were members of the Lions organization. 

Only one of the Lions to be suspended in the first wave, wide receiver Jameson Williams, remains a member of the organization. Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore, who were both suspended indefinitely, were released immediately.

Wideout Stanley Berryhill, who was also suspended six games, is no longer with the organization. He was released in the offseason with a failed physical designation.

Whereas two of the players in the first wave were handed only six-game bans, three players named in this report have been handed a season-long ban.

Rumors of a fifth Lions player being involved began to circulate not long after the first round of suspensions implicated four members of the organization.

Taylor played just one game for the Lions in 2022, and was released on May 10, after signing a reserve/futures deal in the offseason.

The suspended players include Indianapolis Colts cornerback and returner Isaiah Rodgers, who admitted to his conduct in a social media post earlier this offseason. Other players suspended include Rashod Berry and Nicholas Petit-Frere.

Multiple outlets reported earlier this week that a handful of players would be given season-long suspensions, with Rodgers being the only player named. He had allegedly been placing "hundreds of wagers," including some on his own team.

The first player suspended due to sports betting was Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who missed the entire 2022 season as a result of his violations.