- C.J. Moore, a safety for the Detroit Lions, missed all of 2023 after receiving a one-year gambling suspension.
- He made his first public comments about the situation on Thursday, expressing his gratitude towards the Lions for bringing him back.
- Moore wants to make sure none of his younger teammates make the same mistake he did and gamble their future away.
DETROIT – Detroit Lions safety C.J. Moore broke his silence regarding his one-year suspension at Organized Team Activities (OTA) on Thursday. Moore received a second chance from the Lions after the NFL suspended him for online gambling last year.
Moore was one of five Lions players that were caught in an NFL-wide gambling probe that broke out last April, which included Jameson Williams, Quintez Cephus, Stanley Berryhill, and Demetrius Taylor. The Lions cut Moore, Cephus, and Taylor since they were suspended indefinitely for betting on the NFL, but the league reinstated those players.
Moore Admits Mistake, Won’t Let Young Teammates Make The Same
Moore didn’t go into much specifics of the amounts or how often he used Michigan gambling sites, but he did confirm that he didn’t bet on the Detroit Lions. He took accountability for his mistakes and is thankful to be back with the Lions.
“I just failed to hold myself accountable," Moore said to the media on Thursday. "I shouldn't have been gambling in the first place or anything like that. I failed in that area. … I knew the rules. Just, like I said, being immature, just gambling, losing control of being aware of exactly what I was doing. Just a careless mistake.”
Moore was one of Detroit’s best special team players throughout 2019-2022 before the incident. He wants to prevent his younger teammates from making the same mistakes he did.
"When I hear anybody talking about it, like I said I will walk away," Moore said Thursday in his first public comments since last April’s suspension. "But if I can help and tell these guys and encourage them don’t even gamble at all, that’s my word to them."