When Isaiah Rodgers Sr. wasn’t among a handful of players reinstated from gambling suspensions by the NFL last week, it looked like the Philadelphia Eagles defensive back was going to be facing a stiffer penalty than others.
That changed Tuesday for the former Indianapolis Colt who violated the league’s gambling policy for betting on his team and was suspended in June for all of 2023.
Multiple media outlets reported that the NFL reinstated Rodgers, making him fully eligible to return to the field this fall and to the Eagles’ facility immediately.
The NFL reinstated Philadelphia’s Isaiah Rodgers, who was suspended for the 2023 season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. He may participate in all team activities, effective immediately.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2024
The NFL revamped its gambling policy last year to hand out two-year suspensions for a player wagering on his team, but that came after Rodgers was punished, allowing for his return in 2024.
Back in action
Last Thursday, the NFL reinstated Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney as well as free agents Rashod Berry, Quintez Cephus, C.J. Moore, and Demetrius Taylor.
All five were suspended in 2023 for betting on league games.
Rodgers admitted in an ESPN interview that he placed wagers legally in Indiana through his online sports betting account on behalf of other people who lived in Florida and couldn’t access sportsbooks at the time.
The violation that landed him in the most trouble and led to the league revamping its punishments was a $1,000 prop bet on former teammate Jonathan Taylor’s rushing total that Rodgers claimed he didn’t personally make. He said a different individual made the bet using his device, but he couldn’t name anyone due to legal reasons.
“At the end of the day, I knew the rules, I wasn't supposed to do it and I got to take what comes with it,” Rodgers said in the interview.
Playing for Philly
Rodgers was set to make $850,000 in the final year of a $3.4 million deal with Indianapolis, but he was cut by the Colts following the announcement of his suspension. The Eagles picked him up in August 2023, and he was eligible to apply for reinstatement after the league season concluded with February’s Super Bowl.
He played in 45 games from 2020-2022, producing 90 tackles and three interceptions while also returning kickoffs for the Colts, including one touchdown return in 2020.
Rodgers is currently under a one-year contract worth a little more than $1 million with the Eagles.
