Somewhere in the sweet hereafter, probably on the 50-yard line at Tiger Stadium against the Packers, Alex Karras is laughing right now.
Because of course it would be his team, the Detroit Lions, who got pinched the hardest by the NFL’s hypocritical hand Friday, when the league announced it suspended star receiver Jameson Williams, three teammates and a Washington Commanders player for gambling.
But 60 years ago, Karras was the O.G., the Lions’ larger-than-life, Hall of Fame defensive tackle who was suspended for the 1963 season by the NFL for betting on football.
Back then, the punishment was just. But these days the NFL uses one hand to slap the wrists of its gambling players while it uses the other hand to stuff money into its already bulging pockets through official partnerships with betting companies. The five players busted by the league Friday weren’t even the first under the NFL’s new-age gambling Gomorrah.
If they ever remake “Casablanca,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would be a great casting choice to play Captain Renault, who feigns outrage over gambling at Rick’s Café while accepting his winnings.
So, yes, Karras must be having a big laugh on a heavenly field as he looks across the line of scrimmage at Paul Hornung.
“What a world, eh, Golden Boy?” the Mad Duck is surely saying as he shakes his head.
The sum total of the NFL’s punishment amounts to the league needing a third hand to wipe egg off its face and its tarnished, precious shield. And it possibly needs a fourth hand to help the Lions wipe a little yolk off their kisser for failing to properly educate their players.
Otherwise, the ramifications of these misdeeds shouldn’t affect the Lions much. Yes, Williams’ six-game suspension might hinder his development as a promising player — as well as your fantasy draft. (Sorry, Rog. Too soon?). But Williams is eligible to practice all offseason and play preseason games.
If you’re worried about what Williams’ absence will do to the Lions’ prospects this season, fear not. I can assure you that in the time it takes you to read this sentence, offensive coordinator and football savant Ben Johnson has already reworked his playbook and call sheet to account for Williams’ temporary loss.
As for anyone already calling Williams a wasted pick — he was taken 12th overall last year — make sure your public comments don’t include a time stamp, because by the end of this season they probably won’t have aged well.
In Williams’ limited action last season, he was electric on a 41-yard reverse and a 40-yard touchdown catch. Big things are expected from him and, if off-field issues don’t derail him, big things will come.
This was certainly a big lesson for Williams, who turned 22 in March and needs to learn quickly. It’s time to grow up and play by the league’s rules, or else the league will bury him fast and deep to protect itself.
The Lions also might have the same instinct for preservation. Because for all of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell’s constant talk about culture, they can’t espouse lofty platitudes when embarrassing violations hint at a lack of institutional control. You can be sure no one — Lions fans and certainly the team’s ownership — wants to go back to the Jim Schwartz days.
But we should keep in mind the nature and gravity of these transgressions. No one’s life was at risk and the only injury suffered came to the players’ reputations and the integrity of a multibillion-dollar business.
FAQs: Lions’ NFL gambling suspensions: Here’s what we know so far
Williams and Lions receiver Stanley Berryhill were suspended for the technical transgression of mobile betting on non-NFL games done from a team facility. Lions receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore crossed a bigger line and were released after they were suspended indefinitely for gambling on football games.
“We are disappointed by the decision making demonstrated by Stanley and Jameson,” Holmes said in a released statement, “and will work with both players to ensure they understand the severity of these violations and have clarity on the league rules moving forward.”
None of it is good, but none of it is career-ending or team-altering. The Lions essentially lost a potential star receiver for a third of the season on an elite offense that was fantastic without him for most of last year. They also lost two backup receivers and a special teams ace. That’s not exactly a quarterback, a left tackle or a Pro Bowl defender.
In a week, the NFL draft will drown out any more noise about these suspensions. The Lions, who are OK now and will be even better after they make their picks, shouldn’t fret too much. Neither should any NFL fan, because the Pandora’s box of legalized gambling and all its allure will never close again, which means Williams won’t be the last high-profile player to break the gambling rules. You can bet on it.
Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.