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Jameson Williams is enjoying a breakout season for the Detroit Lions, but it will be put on hold.
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard reports that Williams is facing a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances (PES) policy.
Williams isn’t expected to appeal the suspension, telling ESPN he has “no choice but to take it on the chin.”
“I’m in good spirits,” Williams said, per Woodyard. “Just ready to get back with my brothers ASAP. Soon as possible.”
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As of Tuesday morning, the NFL had yet to announce Williams’ suspension, but Dan Campbell was asked about it during his weekly appearance on “Costa & Jansen with Heather.”
“All I can tell you is we’re prepared to not have him,” Campbell said.
“We’ll be fine,” he added before noting that the team’s other weapons: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Tim Patrick, and Kalif Raymond, among others, would be ready to replace the third-year wide-out.
Here’s everything to know about Williams’ suspension and how it could impact the Lions.
Why was Jameson Williams suspended?
Williams was suspended for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substance (PES) policy, which is also colloquially known as the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Drug (PED) policy.
The NFL and NFLPA jointly developed the policy. According to a 2023 version of the document, it is designed “to prohibit and prevent the use of anabolic/androgenic steroids (including exogenous testosterone), stimulants, human or animal growth hormones, whether natural or synthetic, and related or similar substances.”
NFL players are subject to random testing for these substances and can be asked to provide as many as 24 blood or urine tests per year. Players who produce a positive test are subject to discipline, and any player who refuses to appear for required testing or doesn’t cooperate fully with the collection process is also considered to be in violation of the policy.
As such, Williams either tested positive for a banned substance, which, given the length of his suspension, would come from the “Stimulant, Diuretic, or Masking Agent” category, or he didn’t cooperate with a request to test.
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How long is Jameson Williams’ suspension?
Williams is facing a two-game suspension in the wake of the policy violation. As a first-time offender, this is the shortest suspension he can receive for violating the league’s PES policy.
It also means that if Williams tested positive for a banned substance, it falls into the “Stimulant, Diuretic or Masking Agent” category rather than the “Anabolic Agent” agent category. According to the NFL’s PES policy, The former carries a less harsh sentence than the latter for first-time offenders.
- Stimulant, Diuretic, or Masking Agent: 2-game suspension
- Anabolic Agent: 6-game suspension
- Both: 8-game suspension
The penalties grow increasingly harsh for second – and – third-time offenders. Second-time offenders face a minimum suspension of five games and a maximum of an entire season. Third-time offenders are “banished from the NFL for a period of at least two seasons.”
That will make it critical for Williams to avoid a second positive test during his career.
Jameson Williams suspension history
While Williams is a first-time offender of the NFL’s PES policy, it marks his second career suspension. He was suspended for six games during his second NFL season for violating the league’s gambling policy but eventually saw his penalty reduced to four games.
Williams was among the NFL players who were caught placing bets at team facilities, which is prohibited under the league’s gambling policy. He did not bet on NFL games, which would have resulted in a suspension of at least one full season.
Here is a timeline of Williams’ suspensions:
- 2023: 4-game suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy (originally 6, reduced to 4)
- 2024: 2-game suspension for violating the league’s PES policy
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Williams is expected to miss Detroit’s next two games after his suspension. They are as follows:
The Lions will still be favored to beat the Titans, but being without the speedster in their Week 9 clash with the Packers could hurt their chances of winning in the ever-difficult Lambeau Field environment.
Lions WR depth chart
The Lions have five healthy wide receivers on their 53-man roster with Williams out. Here’s the pecking order among those options:
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Tim Patrick
- Kalif Raymond
- Allen Robinson
- Isaiah Williams
The team has veteran wide-out Tom Kennedy on the practice squad. Kennedy has been with the Lions in varying capacities since 2019.
Raymond is a natural replacement for Williams, given his speed. He should see an uptick in snaps over the next two weeks. Given his blocking ability, the big-bodied Patrick figures to see more action and looks in two-receiver sets. That may lead him to get more looks from Jared Goff.
As Campbell mentioned, tight end Sam LaPorta could see increased looks in the passing game in addition to these receivers.