PITTSBURGH — Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley bet $1,500 on NFL games and lost $11.1 million. He might not be the worst gambler in the world, but he might be the dumbest.
The NFL suspended Ridley on Monday for at least the 2022 season after it learned he had made parlay bets on three, five and eight games in November, including wagers on the Falcons to win. It is the No. 1 rule in any sport that players can't bet on their sport. Ridley, a former No. 1 pick from Alabama, will forfeit the $11.1 million salary that was due from the Falcons on his fifth-year option.
"There is nothing more fundamental to the NFL's success — and to the reputation of everyone associated with our league — than upholding the integrity of the game," Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to Ridley. "This is the responsibility of every player, coach, owner, game official and everyone else employed in the league. Your actions put the integrity of the game at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football and potentially undermined the reputations of your fellow players throughout the NFL.
