Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended from the 2022 season. | Dave Adamson/Unsplash
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended from the 2022 season. | Dave Adamson/Unsplash
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended from the 2022 season after a league investigation found that he bet on National Football League (NFL) games during the 2021 season.
FOX 5 Atlanta highlighted the move in a March 7 report featuring a statement by Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, who said gambling has long been considered one of the most significant violations of league policy.
"There is nothing more fundamental to the NFL's success — and to the reputation of everyone associated with our league — than upholding the integrity of the game. This is the responsibility of every player, coach, owner, game official, and anyone else employed in the league,” Goodell said in the statement. “[Ridley’s] actions put the integrity of the game at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football, and potentially undermined the reputations of [his] fellow players throughout the NFL.”
The allegations took place in November 2021, while Ridley was away from the team, according to FOX 5. The wide receiver played in five games that season, missing a majority of the games after taking a leave of absence to deal with mental health issues.
In a series of tweets Monday evening, Ridley said he had reached a point where he couldn’t even watch football and that he had only bet a total of $1,500.
“If you know me, you know my character,” he said on Twitter.
Ridley can appeal the suspension and is eligible to apply for reinstatement after Feb. 15, 2023, according to FOX 5.
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