The NFL suspended three players indefinitely on Thursday for violating the league's gambling policy, and a fourth was sidelined for six games. Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers Sr., a projected starter for the Indianapolis Colts, and his new teammate Rashod Berry, a backup defensive end, both received indefinite suspensions and were subsequently waived by the team. Rodgers, Berry, and free agent Demetrius Taylor, who also received an indefinite suspension, cannot seek reinstatement until after the 2023 season. Taylor bet on NFL games in 2022, and Rodgers faced the same accusation.
General manager Chris Ballard said in a statement that the Colts' decision was made because of the violations. "The integrity of the game is of the utmost importance," he said. Tennessee Titans right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere was suspended for the first six games of the 2023 season for betting on non-NFL sports at the team's facility. He is eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason activities, including preseason games. Petit-Frere and Berry were college teammates at Ohio State. "We believe in Nick and know that he has deep respect for the integrity of the game and our organization," the Titans said in a statement.
The NFL's gambling policy bars players, coaches, and league and team officials from betting on NFL games, placing bets at team facilities or team hotels, or having someone else place a bet for them, among other restrictions. With many states legalizing sports books specifically and gambling in general, leagues must increasingly face infractions. In April, the NFL suspended five players, four of them with the Detroit Lions, for gambling infractions. The Lions released three of the players. Petit-Frere released a statement apologizing to the Titans and his family. He said his betting did not involve the NFL and was legal under Tennessee law. "It is only being sanctioned because it occurred at the Titans facility," Petit-Frere said. (A Falcons receiver was suspended last year.)
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