Jameson Williams was handed a game suspension by the NFL in April for violating the league’s gambling rules. The accused spoke for the first time about his crime and admitted that he was surprised by his punishment.
Williams had in the past placed sports bets on college football games at the Detroit Lions’ backlot. The NFL does not condone such gambling activity on the facilities of its organizations.
“It was something I wasn’t aware of,” Williams assured the press on Thursday. According to his own statement, he was “caught” by his punishment. The NFL suspended the wide receiver for the first six games of the upcoming season.
When he found out about this penalty, the professional was flabbergasted. “I felt sick, I was injured because I didn’t know something like this would happen,” said the 22-year-old, who needed some time to process.
Despite his ignorance, Williams pretended to be remorseful. “I broke a policy. I’m looking forward. The situation is what it is, after all.” He is also just happy to be able to train with his teammates at the moment.
Williams’ NFL debut was not optimal
Being on the training ground for the entire offseason is a new NFL experience for Jameson Williams. The receiver was picked twelfth in the 2022 draft by Detroit, but had to pass until December due to a cruciate ligament rupture.
Head coach Dan Campbell is quite relaxed about his athlete’s ban, probably also because of the lack of preparation from the previous year. “We’re miles ahead,” Campbell drew a comparison to the last offseason on Thursday.
The Lions now want to ideally prepare Williams in training for the new season, coordinate routes and refine the interaction with quarterback Jared Goff.
“That’s what we do and when he’s gone, he’s gone. And when he comes back, hopefully we’ve built enough base and core under him so that he can get back in immediately,” Campbell explained his plan for Williams.