N.F.L. Suspends 3 More Players for Betting on Football

The N.F.L. announced penalties on Thursday for four players who had violated the league’s gambling rules.

Isaiah Rodgers, a cornerback who started nine games last season, and Rashod Berry, a reserve tight end, of the Indianapolis Colts and the free agent defensive tackle Demetrius Taylor, who played in one game last season for the Detroit Lions, were suspended for at least a year for betting on N.F.L. games in the 2022 season.

Nicholas Petit-Frere, an offensive tackle with the Tennessee Titans, received a six-game suspension for betting on other sports while at the team’s facility. He will be allowed to participate in training camp and preseason practices and games.

An N.F.L. spokesman declined to comment on specifics of the investigation and how the league had discovered the players’ violations.

Shortly after the N.F.L. announced the suspensions, the Colts released Rodgers and Berry.

“The integrity of the game is of the utmost importance,” Chris Ballard, the Colts’ general manager, said in a statement. “As an organization, we will continue to educate our players, coaches and staff on the policies in place and the significant consequences that may occur with violations.”

The Titans said in a statement that the team was aware of Petit-Frere’s suspension but announced no further discipline.

“We believe in Nick and know that he has deep respect for the integrity of the game and our organization,” the team said.

A representative for Rodgers declined to comment. Representatives for Taylor, Berry and Petit-Frere did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The penalties were the second wave of season-long suspensions handed down in a two-month span. Seven N.F.L. players have received full-season suspensions in the past two years, a period in which pro football and other major sports have embraced legalized betting revenue.

In April, the N.F.L. suspended receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore of the Detroit Lions and defensive end Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders indefinitely after a league investigation found that they had bet on football games during the 2022 season. As with the most recent suspensions, all are eligible to apply for reinstatement at the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Two other Lions players, receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams, were each docked six games for gambling violations, which the team said had included betting from an N.F.L. facility on other sporting events.

Receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for a season in March 2022 after betting on football games while he was away from the Atlanta Falcons to focus on his mental health. He was reinstated one year later and is expected to make his debut with the Jacksonville Jaguars in September.

League policies prohibit personnel from placing or facilitating bets on any N.F.L. game, practice or other event, such as the draft. Players are allowed to bet on other sports, but may not gamble in the workplace or while working, which includes traveling to games or while making promotional appearances on the league’s behalf.

In a conference call with reporters in June, Jeff Miller, the N.FL.’s vice president of communications, public affairs and policy, detailed the league’s efforts to educate players on gambling policy. Rookies are required to attend sessions on the rules, and N.FL. officials visited teams to emphasize betting regulations.