Calvin Ridley stepped away from the Falcons in midseason to tend to his mental health. The NFL has suspended him for next season for betting on NFL games in his absence. A once-glittering career is now in question.
Gambling on your sport’s games – even if you’re not playing that sport at that moment – is the third rail of professional leagues. It’s keeping Pete Rose out of Cooperstown. It has now rendered the heir apparent to Julio Jones persona non grata for 2022, and the Falcons need every asset they can find. They can’t play Ridley because he’s banned. They can’t trade him, either.
Wrote Commissioner Roger Goodell: “For decades, gambling on NFL games has been considered among the most significant violations of league policy warranting the most substantial sanction.”
