By 
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Jameson Williams confessed to sensation “sick” and “hurt” on the night of April 20 when the Detroit Lions’ second-year receiver found out of his six-game suspension for breaking the NFL’s betting policy.
He stated he was blindsided by the judgment, which was officially revealed the next early morning.
“I didn’t know things like this was coming, but I took me some time, and I just thought about the better days and moving forward,” Williams stated. “It’s not my last day living so I just look forward to the better days.”
Williams, the No. 12 choice of the 2022 NFL draft, declares he wasn’t knowledgeable about the policy ahead of time. Although he didn’t bank on NFL video games, he was flagged for mobile wagering that took place at the group’s Allen Park center, which he states he does not keep in mind. He will not appeal the six-game suspension.
“I just left it alone,” Williams stated. “They gave me six games and we left it at that. I just look forward to coming back Week 7, getting back with team out there and playing the game.”
Williams insists he’s “not a gambler,” stating, “I’m a football player.” He stated his wagering didn’t take place often.
Although Williams isn’t pleased to be suspended, he held himself liable throughout a 10-minute media session throughout Thursday’s OTAs. He states he has actually found out to “make the right decisions,” and hopes it’ll raise awareness about betting amongst fellow professional athletes in the future.
“Oh, yeah, for sure, because like I said, it hit me out the blue and it hit a couple other players around the league and on my team out the blue,” Williams stated. “I wasn’t aware of this situation, but as it happened, I took it on the chin.”
Lions pass receiver Quintez Cephus and security C.J. Moore were suspended forever then launched by Detroit for banking on NFL video games. Lions receiver Stanley Berryhill was likewise set to miss out on 6 video games, initially, however he was waived in May in the wake of the his wagering suspension.
Williams is permitted to be present for OTAs, in addition to other offseason and preseason activities, however will start serving his suspension on the last lineup cut-down date. He would not elaborate on whether the league choice was reasonable or not.
“That’s really not my decision,” Williams stated. “I’m in the league to play football and not make the rules on gambling or things like that.”
Head coach Dan Campbell stated Williams is “already miles ahead” of where he was in 2015 at this time, when he was sidelined for the very first 11 video games while recuperating from a torn ACL injury he suffered while at Alabama.
Detroit’s strategy is to get as much operate in with him as possible prior to the suspension starts with hopes of working him back into the system when he’s qualified to return for a strong surface.
“Look, he knows. He’s gotten it from everybody,” Campbell stated. “So, look, it happened. It’s an emphasis on the league right now. It’s a big thing, our players know. We’ve tried to hammer it home. Certainly, we did after that point and hit it two more times and we’ll keep doing it. But, listen, it’s happening, the suspension is happening and what can we do to move forward?”
Lions basic supervisor Brad Holmes likewise preserves faith in Williams’ character. The Lions have no interest in Williams progressing, according to Holmes.
“He made a mistake, and he takes accountability of it, he knows it,” Holmes stated April 29 following the 2023 NFL draft. “Yes, he is young and he understands the mistake that he made and we’ve had transparent, open conversations about it, but we have confidence that he’s going to take the right approach, that he’s going to have the right response in terms of what he needs to do.
“We’ll get him in training school and after that we’ll have a great prepare for him when he needs to leave and when he needs to return.”
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