1. If you’re one of these people whose schtick is “a rule is a rule,” please do me a favor and stop reading now and go read another column on SI.com.
If you’re someone who likes to use common sense, then please stick around.
I fully understand Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley should not have bet on NFL games. I fully support the NFL punishing Ridley.
However, a one-year suspension, which Ridley cannot even appeal until Feb. 15, 2023, is over the top.
Here’s where common sense comes in: You know why a player betting on his own team is considered “bad”? Because you don’t want the player “fixing” or “throwing” the game. Well, guess what? Calvin Ridley has an $11 million contract with the Falcons. He’s not going to fix a game in order to win a few thousand dollars when he’s already making that kind of money. There is zero motivation for pro athletes in major sports leagues to fix games. They don’t need the money.
It’s a terrible look for the NFL to have one of its players betting on games, and a terrible look for Ridley to be making some NFL wagers on an app when everyone knows the NFL has a rule banning sports betting. But that’s what this is about: optics. It’s not about anything else because there is no chance a guy making $11 million would even think about fixing a game.
A two-, three- or four-game suspension would’ve sufficed. But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league, in the middle of counting their cash from all their gambling partnerships, wanted to look like tough guys.
Ridley is also not being a top-level star. If this exact thing happened with, say, Tom Brady or Derrick Henry or Patrick Mahomes or Cooper Kupp, there is a 0% chance they would’ve been kicked out of the league for a full season.
2. We live in a time when you have to take sides during a fight, but I don’t understand why anyone would take sides in the owners-vs.-players dispute in MLB. I’m not on any side. Both sides make me roll my eyes. But in the Twitter world, you’re definitely not allowed to be on the owners’ side. That’s why Jeff Passan’s recent actions barley registered a blip on social media.
During an appearance on a ESPN podcast last week, Passan, who is supposed to be on objective reporter, revealed that he texted players telling them not to take a deal proposed by the owners.
"I looked at the offer the next morning,” Passan told ESPN Daily “and I texted a few players, and I texted a few agents, and I said to all of them, ‘Are you really going to take this s--- sandwich?’”
It seems that some higher-ups at ESPN caught wind of Passan’s comments and he was then forced to do the whole apology thing.
“On a podcast recently, I took the phrasing of a source and mistakenly did not make clear they were his words, not mine. ESPN and fans rightfully expect me to be objective, and my record shows I’m extremely committed to representing all sides of a story. In this instance, I fell short of that standard.”
Can you imagine if a reporter revealed that they were texting negotiating advice to owners? Twitter would melt down.
3. Loved the electric call from ESPN’s Tom Hart on Chattanooga’s game-winning three-pointer last night.
“Heaves it for the winnnn. OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
4. Solid Ric Flair impression from Stephen A. Smith on Monday's First Take.
5. I’m sure Rockets and Nets fans will love seeing James Harden running up and down the steps at the Wells Fargo Center after the Sixers beat the Bulls last night.
6. The latest SI Media Podcast features an interview with Jim Miller. The author, reporter and podcast host shared his insights on all the recent NFL broadcaster madness. Troy Aikman to ESPN. Joe Buck to ESPN? What is going on with Al Michaels? Where will Fox turn for a No. 1 NFL booth? Is Kirk Herbstreit in play for Amazon? All this and more is covered with Miller.
In addition, Andrew Perloff from The Maggie and Perloff Show joins me for this week’s “Traina Thoughts” segment, during which we discuss my recent appearance on his show, the MLB lockout, a rumored Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee match at WrestleMania and more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
