Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley missed much of last season after he announced in October that we would be stepping away from football to focus on his mental health. Ridley didn’t rejoin the team for the rest of the season, and the Falcons had openly entertained the possibility of trading Ridley to give him a change of scenery.
Those plans will be on hold for at least another year after the NFL issued one of the more shocking suspensions we’ve seen in recent memory.
The NFL announced on Monday that Ridley would be suspended indefinitely at least through the entire 2022 season for gambling on NFL games while away from the Falcons. According to the NFL, Ridley didn’t use inside information for his bets, but gambling on NFL games is a violation of league rules. He can apply for reinstatement on Feb. 15, 2023.
NFL statement on the year-long suspension of Falcons’ WR Calvin Ridley: pic.twitter.com/mQZm5dGgPO
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2022
Word of the suspension seemingly came out of nowhere, and NFL fans were understandably stunned.