Calvin Ridley #18 of the Atlanta Falcons warms up prior to a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on August 21, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Michael Reaves | Getty Images
The National Football League suspended Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley through the 2022 season for betting on games, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Monday.
The league said Ridley, 27, bet on NFL 2021 games during a five-day period last November. During that time, Ridley was on the non-football illness list.
“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,” 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.”
The league said Ridley is eligible for reinstatement in February 2023.
Ridley has been with the Falcons for four seasons. His best was in 2020, when he had nine touchdowns and 1,374 receiving yards.
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