- The NFL has suspended Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley for the 2022 season for betting on games.
- The league said Ridley bet over a five-day period in November 2021, and that there was no evidence of inside information being used.
- After the news broke, Ridley tweeted "I bet 1500 total I don't have a gambling problem."
The NFL suspended Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley for betting on NFL games in the 2021 season, the league said in a statement on Monday.
He will be suspended through "at least" the 2022 season, according to the statement.
The NFL said that Ridley engaged in betting over the course of a five-day period in late November 2021, when he was away from the team on the "non-football illness list."
No teammates or coaches knew about Ridley's betting on games, the statement said.
"Your actions put the integrity of the game at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football, and potentially undermined the reputations of your fellow players throughout the NFL," a letter from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to Ridley said.
—Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) March 7, 2022
"We have cooperated fully with the investigation since receiving notice and support the league's finding and actions," the Falcons said in a statement. "We are moving forward in the 2022 season with the decision that was made."
After news of his suspension broke, Ridley tweeted: "I bet 1500 total I don't have a gambling problem."
—CALVIN RIDLEY (@CalvinRidley1) March 7, 2022
Gambling on games is an obvious red line for players, but the league noted in its letter that there was "no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way."
According to Lindsay Jones at The Athletic, Ridley placed three parlay bets that included the Falcons to win via the Hard Rock Sportsbook app while in Florida. At the time, Ridley had been on leave from the team, citing mental health issues.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo said that the league was flagged of Ridley's bets through their relationship with betting partners.
—Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 7, 2022
For Ridley, the suspension comes at a tough time. On the eve of his fifth year in the league, Ridley was set to make north of $11 million in 2022, the first big money of his career, after the first four years of his rookie deal. In 2023, Ridley would have been a free agent or potentially extended on a new big money deal.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Falcons declined to go into negotiations with other teams that had inquired about trading for Ridley since the start of the investigation.
—Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2022
Ridley can appeal his suspension if he files in the next three days, but given his tweet, it's possible he's already accepted the disciplinary action.