Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley responded on Twitter after the NFL suspended him for at least a year for gambling on games.
From his verified Twitter account, Ridley said he doesn’t have a “gambling problem” and claims he only bet $1,500 total during a five-day stretch in November.
“I couldn’t even watch football at that point,” Ridley wrote.
Ridley, who played only five games for the Falcons in 2021, won’t be eligible for reinstatement to the NFL until February of 2023.
“Just gone be more healthy when I come back,” Ridley added.
The screenshots of the tweets are below:
According to the NFL, there was “no evidence” of Ridley using inside information on any games, and no one related to the Falcons is believed to have known of Ridley’s behavior.
The team said it was made aware of Ridley’s gambling in February. The Falcons cooperated fully with the investigation.
Ridley stepped away from the game in October of last year for mental health reasons.
The Falcons’ 2018 first-round pick caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns during the 2020 season.
Ridley has three days to appeal the suspension.
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