Lions release two players following gambling suspensions, stick with first-round draft pick

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

The Detriot Lions have released wide receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore after both players were suspended, alongside three others, by the NFL for violating the league’s gambling policy. 

Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager Brad Holmes announced Friday that Cephus, a fifth-round draft pick in the 2020 NFL draft, and Moore, a fourth-year safety, had been released following the league’s announcement that both players had been suspended "indefinitely" for betting on NFL games last season. 

Detroit Lions safety C.J. Moore, #38, warms up prior to the National Football League game between the New York Jets and the Detroit Lions on Dec. 18, 2022 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"As a result of an NFL investigation, it came to our attention that a few of our players had violated the league's gambling policy," Holmes said in a statement, provided by the team’s website. 

NFL SUSPENDS THREE PLAYERS INDEFINITELY FOR GAMBLING POLICY VIOLATIONS, TWO OTHERS FOR 6 GAMES

"These players exhibited decision-making that is not consistent with our organizational values and violates league rules. We have made the decision to part ways with Quintez and C.J. immediately." 

Lions’ 2022 first-round draft pick Jameson Williams and wideout Stanley Berryhill were also named in the NFL’s investigation and were suspended "for the team's first six regular season games of the 2023 season." 

Detroit Lions Wide Receiver Quintez Cephus, #87, looks on during the NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 25, 2022, at U.S. Bank Stadium in