The Lions were counting on Jameson Williams to be a major contributor in 2023. They won't have him for at least the first six games of the season after he was suspended by the NFL for violating the league's gambling policy.
An investigation revealed that Williams, the 12th overall pick in 2022, bet on non-NFL games from an NFL facility last season. His agency, Alliance Sports, released a statement Friday that began, "Jameson takes full responsibility for his actions and is very apologetic to the NFL, his teammates and the fans and city of Detroit."
The statement went on to note that Williams' "violation was not for betting on football but rather due to a technical rule regarding the actual location in which the online bet was placed -- and which would otherwise be allowed by the NFL outside of the club’s facility."
Still, the blame belongs with Williams, who either failed to fully understand the NFL's gambling policy, on which players are educated when they enter the league, or absentmindedly or knowingly broke it.
Per the statement, it sounds like the former:
"Jameson would never intentionally jeopardize the integrity of the game he loves so much and looks forward to getting back to his team as soon as possible."
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker