American Football receiver for the Falcons of the National Football League, Calvin Ridley, has been suspended by the NFL for at least the 2022 season for betting on NFL games in the 2021 season.
The NFL stated that Calvin placed bets during the 5-day period in November 2021, while the player was not with the club’s facility on the list of non-football illnesses. Ridley played in only five games last season before he left the Falcons to focus on mental health.
The NFL commissioner, Roger Goodwell, wrote in Ridley’s suspension letter that the NFL’s success and the reputation of each and every member associated with the league are more fundamental than to uphold the game’s integrity.
According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, who reported to the Athletic, stated that the player placed bets through an app from his personal mobile in Florida, and the officials noticed unusual activity. He reported the same to Genius Sports, a firm that monitors sports betting data for the league. Mike also mentioned that the player also placed three parlays, a 3-team, 5-team, and 8-team, and bets on Falcons in order to win every game.
Following the news of Ridley’s suspension, the player tweeted that he does not have any gambling problem.
During a press release, Falcons stated they were aware of this investigation last month, and they cooperated fully with it.
The future of Calvin Ridley in Atlanta was uncertain soon after he exited from the league for a majority of the season in order to put more emphasis on his mental wellbeing. There was no indication from the team of when Ridley planned to get back in 2022. But now, the young Falcons receiver is going to be out for no less than a year.
The suspension will cost $11.116 million of the salary cap of Falcons in 2022.
The receiver tweeted the amount he actually wagered, mentioning that he bet a sum of $1500 and that he has no gambling problem.
According to another press release, an investigation conducted by the NFL found no evidence that indicated the use of any inside data or any game being compromised and that none of the teammates, team staff, or coaches were aware of the fact that Ridley was betting on NFL games.
Ridley had moved back from the league during the end of October after playing five games and catching around 30 passes for 281 yards.
Arthur Blank, the Falcons owner, mentioned that the team expects Ridley’s return, but with free agency coming up, the team needs to have a complete understanding of it.
Blank, in another interview on the same day, said that he and other Falcons representatives were not allowed to interact with Ridley directly.
