The Lions encountered more gambling suspensions than any other team last year. This led to several cuts, Jameson Williams not debuting until October and some staff dismissals.
C.J. Moore was among the players jettisoned following a gambling suspension; the Lions cut the veteran special-teamer last April despite having re-signed him a month earlier. The team will give Moore a second chance, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting the sides reached an agreement on a deal Tuesday.
This comes shortly after the NFL reinstated Moore, along with four others who received bans in 2023. Moore, 28, was found to have bet on NFL games while on team grounds. While the Lions have moved on from fellow the rest of their non-Williams sect of gambling policy violators — wide receivers Quintez Cephus and Stanley Berryhill, and defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor — Moore had served as a key special-teamer under Matt Patricia and then Dan Campbell. The team will sign off on a second chance.
The Lions agreed to terms to re-sign Moore on a two-year, $4.5MM deal in March 2023. The former UDFA out of Ole Miss saw action on between 68-78% of Detroit’s special teams plays from 2019-22. This topped out with 321 snaps in 2019, though Moore also cleared 300 ST snaps in 2021. He played more than 100 defensive snaps in both the 2021 and ’22 seasons, intercepting a pass in 2021.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson left to rejoin the Eagles in free agency, and the Lions did not draft a safety. The team used its top draft resources on corners, bringing in two (Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw Jr.) in the first two rounds. The Lions still roster safety starters Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu; after a memorable career hiccup, Moore stands to reprise his role as a backup in 2024.
The NFL and their hypocritical attidue to sports wagering is insane. First it was bad for the game, because players could get compromised, but now that the NFL can control wagering, and make money off of it, it’s all of a sudden great! Then we see players betting on games left and right, and the NFL is scrambling to look self-righteous somehow. Ridiculous.
I totally get your sentiment, but you could say that about other companies too. Look at ESPN. They used to be very outspoken against gambling, and when giving insight on a game, they would always say “for entertainment purposes only”. Now that they can profit from it, they have their own app for sports betting and a radio show dedicated to giving gambling advice on prop bets.
Right. Prop bets are the worst. They have the lowest odds of winning and in-game wagering is also a scam, designed to take money out of people’s pockets. The NFL has always known betting is a big reason why people watch games.
Prop bets are becoming a huge problem. The NCAA and leagues like the NFL and NBA are already concerned they’re compromising the integrity of their respective games. There have also been reports of college players being threatened for losing people prop bets. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see them get banned soon.