Credit: Unsplash

Ridley is out for the rest of the season.

Yesterday, the NFL announced that Calvin Ridley, wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, had been temporarily suspended from the league for the remainder of the 2022 season. Ridley’s charge is placing a series of bets on Falcons games back in November, while he was on a temporary leave for mental health reasons. Gambling on your own team’s games is considered a major violation of NFL policy, as it could potentially impact the integrity of the games.

“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,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to Ridley. “This is the responsibility of every player, coach, owner, game official, and anyone 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.

“For decades, gambling on NFL games has been considered among the most significant violations of league policy warranting the most substantial sanction. In your case, I acknowledge and commend you for your promptly reporting for an interview, and for admitting your actions.”

NFL suspends Falcons' Calvin Ridley indefinitely for gambling on games https://t.co/jouV0Oo0g0 pic.twitter.com/CTFm7BrKJm

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) March 8, 2022

Based on a preliminary investigation, Ridley’s bets were not placed using any kind of fixing or prior knowledge, which is why his punishment is not more severe. They have also not found any potential connections to the bets among the Falcons’ staff and players. Ridley will be permitted to return to the game starting February of next year.