The NFL has handed down another season-long suspension.
Denver Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike was suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games during the 2022 season, the league announced. He will be eligible to petition for reinstatement after 12 months on July 24, 2024.
Uwazurike brings the number of NFL players suspended for the entire season to seven. Earlier in the offseason, several other players were suspended for gambling-related violations.
Indianapolis Colts cornerback and kick returner Isaiah Rodgers and outside linebacker Rashod Berry have banned for the season for violating the NFL’s policy on gambling, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Free agent defensive tackle Demetrius Taylor has also been suspended for the 2023 NFL season for betting on NFL games.
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The Colts released Rodgers and Berry released after their suspensions were announced Thursday.
Detroit Lions safety C.J. Moore, Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus and Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney were suspended indefinitely in April for betting on NFL games during the 2022 season.
NFL
An eighth player, Tennessee offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, was also handed a six-game suspension for the 2023 season.
Petit-Frere said he did not bet on NFL games but was suspended rather for betting at the Titans' team facility.
Additionally, another pair of Lions players -- wide receivers Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill -- received six-game suspensions for violating the gambling policy. Berryhill was later released by the club.
It’s the second straight season that suspensions from gambling have marred the NFL offseason.
Former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for the entire season for violating the league’s gambling policy.
The upcoming suspensions are just as severe, with year-long suspensions becoming more common in the NFL over the last two decades.
Here’s a look back at the NFL players who have previously been suspended for one year or more by commissioner Roger Goodell.
Michael Vick - 2007
The star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons was suspended indefinitely without pay after his admission of guilt in federal court for his role in running a dogfighting ring. After serving 18 months in prison, Vick was conditionally reinstated for preseason games in July of 2009, with Roger Goodell saying he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6 at the latest. Having been released by the Falcons in June, Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in August and made his debut in Week 3.
Adam "Pacman" Jones - 2007
The Tennessee Titans cornerback received a one-year suspension for off-the-field conduct that included 10 instances where he was interviewed by police, according to ESPN. The suspension was handed down after his role in a fight at a strip club led to a shooting that left one man paralyzed.
Travis Henry - 2008
The Denver Broncos running back tested positive for marijuana for a third time, leading to a one-year suspension. During his suspension, Henry was sentenced to three years in federal prison for financing a drug ring that moved cocaine between Colorado and Montana. Henry was reinstated by the NFL in 2012 but never again played in the league.
Donte’ Stallworth - 2009
The Cleveland Browns wide receiver was suspended for one year after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter for a crash in which he struck and killed a construction worker in Miami Beach. Stallworth returned during the 2010 season with the Baltimore Ravens.
Dominic Rhodes - 2011
The former Indianapolis Colts running back was suspended for a year after his third violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He was reinstated in 2014 but never played in the league again.
Aldon Smith - 2015
The All-Pro defensive end was arrested on hit-and-run, DUI and vandalism while at training camp with the San Francisco 49ers in August 2015 – his third arrest involving DUI. He was released the following day by the 49ers and, weeks later, signed by the Raiders. In November 2015, Smith was suspended one year for violating the NFL policy and program for substances of abuse. He didn’t play again until 2020 with the Dallas Cowboys.
Josh Gordon - 2015
The Cleveland Browns wideout was suspended for the entire 2015 season, one of his six suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Martavius Bryant - 2016
The wide receiver was suspended for the entire 2016 season for multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy. After being reinstated in April 2017, Bryant violated the terms of his conditional reinstatement.
Darren Waller - 2017
A second suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy cost the Baltimore Ravens tight end the entire 2017 season. He returned in 2018 with the Oakland Raiders.
Jerrell Freeman - 2018
The Chicago Bears linebacker, after being suspended in both 2016 and 2017 for performance enhancing drug use, failed another test in 2018. Facing a two-year suspension, the 32 year old announced his retirement after six seasons.
Calvin Ridley - 2021
The former star wide receiver was suspended for the 2022 season after he bet on NFL games over a five-day stretch when he was away from the Atlanta Falcons in November 2021. Ridley admitted that his bets totaled $1,500. Ridley, a 2018 first-round pick who was acquired by the Jacksonville Jaguars in a November 2022 trade, was fully reinstated in March.
