Photo: Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley, Sept. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)/Photo: (background), Cincinnati Bengals at the Super Bowl, Feb. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley was slapped with a one-year suspension for gambling on National Football League games in 2021. He will be out for the rest of the 2022 season.
Ridley, 27, placed bets on NFL games during five days in late November 2021 when he was away from the club to focus on his mental health, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
On Oct. 31, 2021, Ridley announced he was taking a break from playing because of a mental health issue. “These past few weeks have been very challenging, and as much as I’d like to be on the field competing with my teammates, I need to step away from football at this time and focus on my mental well-being,” Ridley said in a statement posted to his social media accounts. “This will help me be the best version of myself now and in the future.”
An investigation into Ridley’s conduct “uncovered no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way,” Goodell said in the statement. “Nor was there evidence suggesting any awareness by coaches, staff, teammates, or other players of his betting activity.”
Ridley placed three parlay bets between Nov. 23 and Nov. 28 on the Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile app while he was in Florida, a source told The New York Times. In a parlay bet, a bettor makes multiple wagers (at least two) and ties them together into the same bet. If any bet loses, the entire parlay loses. If all bets win, the bettor gets a bigger payout.
Genius Sports, an organization that monitors sports betting data for the NFL, alerted the league that a player might have placed bets. The NFL’s investigation discovered that Ridley’s bets included a wager on the Falcons to win.
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“I bet 1500 total I don’t have a gambling problem,” tweeted Ridley, a four-year NFL veteran
He then added: “I know I was wrong But I’m getting 1 year lol.”
Ridley has a contract for $11.1 million.
Ridley can appeal his suspension within three days and ask to be reinstated on or after Feb. 15, 2023.
Ridley was named a second-team All-Pro in 2020 when he caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns, CBS News reported.
Photo: Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley (18) warms up before an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sept. 26, 2021, in East Rutherford, N.J. Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been suspended for the 2022 season for betting on NFL games in the 2021 season. The suspension announced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday, March 7, 2022, is for activity that took place while Ridley was away from the team while addressing mental health concerns. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)/Photo: Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandon Powell carries the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 56 football game, Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
