The NFL has suspended Denver Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike indefinitely for wagering on league games, the league said on Monday.
Uwazurike placed the wagers during the 2022 season, according to the league. The NFL did not say if Uwazurike wagered on Broncos games. He will not be allowed to appeal for reinstatement until 2024, which means he will miss at least the whole 2023 season.
Uwazurike, 25, joins the Broncos as a rookie in 2022 as a fourth-round draft selection from Iowa State. He appeared in eight games as a backup, recording 17 tackles, two quarterback hits, and one pass defensed. He was set to play the 2023 season in the second year of a four-year, $4.4 million deal, with $765,000 guaranteed as a signing bonus.
Uwazurike is the 10th player suspended by the NFL since April for violating the league’s gambling policy. Indianapolis Colts Isaiah Rodgers (cornerback) and Rashod Berry (defensive end), Detroit Lions Quintez Cephus (wide receiver), C.J. Moore (defensive back), Jameson Williams (wide receiver), and Stanley Berryhill (wide receiver), Washington Commander Shaka Toney (defensive end), Tennessee Titan Nicholas Petit-Frere (offensive lineman), and free agent Demetrius Taylor (defensive end) have all been suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy.
The NFL previously suspended then-Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley for the 2022 season due to a gambling rules violation. Ridley has subsequently been restored and will play for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season following his trade from Atlanta.
Ridley was the first NFL player to face a gambling punishment after sports betting was widely legalized in 2018 following a favorable Supreme Court judgment. The NFL has since incorporated sports betting into its economic strategy, forming relationships with several sports bookies. However, athletes face stringent restrictions under the league’s gambling policy, with the most severe penalties reserved for players who gamble on NFL games.