Calvin Ridley on gambling suspension: ‘The worst mistake of my life’

When the Atlanta Falcons traded away Julio Jones during the 2021 offseason, it was supposed to be Calvin Ridley‘s time to shine as the team’s undisputed No. 1 receiver. However, Ridley wound up playing just five games that season before he was placed on the non-football injury list to address his mental health.

Fans didn’t know much about what was going on with Ridley at the time, and while some initially had sympathy for him, those feelings quickly evaporated when Ridley was hit with a one-year suspension for gambling on NFL games. Atlanta traded Ridley to the Jaguars in November, and he was finally reinstated by the NFL last week.

On Wednesday, Ridley published an article through the Players’ Tribune that gives an inside look at his life over the past two years. The former Alabama star said that betting on football games was the worst mistake of his life, and provides a vivid picture of what he was dealing with during his final season in Atlanta. It all started when Ridley broke his ankle two months before the 2021 season began.

I was devastated. It was only two months before the start of the season, and now you’re telling me it’s broken? You gotta remember — I was the No. 1 guy now with Julio gone. I was under so much pressure to be out there. I got the surgery and rushed back, but I showed up to camp just mentally drained. I still couldn’t plant without painkillers. So you get trapped in this cycle where it’s like, “If you take this pill, you can run.

Ridley tried playing through the pain but was simply not himself. Making matters worse, Ridley returned home from the team’s Week 1 loss to find his house had been burglarized by several men with guns.

At first, me and my wife were pretty calm about everything. They took a bunch of jewelry and stuff, but nothing we couldn’t replace. But then we watched the security footage, and we saw about five or six guys come in with guns drawn. If you have a child, that’s your worst nightmare. My wife was traumatized. She couldn’t sleep at night. She couldn’t stand me being out of the house.

This is when Ridley said he knew there was something wrong. Not only was he dealing with the pressure of trying to perform on a bad ankle, he had become overwhelmed with the anxiety from his home life. Things hit a breaking point when the Falcons were preparing to play the Panthers in London during Week 8.

All I wanted was to be at home with my wife and daughter. We were supposed to go play in London, and I just couldn’t leave them. That’s when I finally broke down and told the team that I needed help. And this is where it gets tricky for me, because I don’t want to badmouth anybody from the franchise. I know they got a lot of pressure to win, and they got their own job to do. But I just felt like some people in the building were supportive, and other people were looking at me like, “You good, bro.” But I wasn’t good. It’s as simple as that. I’m as mentally strong as they come, believe me. But I really just needed a break. So I stepped away from the team.

It was during that time away from the team that he was busted for betting on NFL games. Ridley goes on to explain how the gambling suspension came about.

I just f***ed up. Period. In a dark moment, I made a stupid mistake. I wasn’t trying to cheat the game. That’s the thing I want to make clear. At the time, I had been completely away from the team for about a month. I was still just so depressed and angry, and the days were so long. I was looking for anything to take my mind off of things and make the day go by faster. One day, I saw a TV commercial for a betting app, and for whatever reason, I downloaded it on my phone.

In the NFL, players are not allowed to show weakness, but they are very much human like the rest of us. Ridley’s depression and anxiety became overwhelming to the point that he no longer felt like he could help the team.

The gambling suspension was what we in the media focused on, but Ridley’s story should serve as a reminder that mental health issues can be as detrimental as any physical ailment.

Now as Ridley is set to resume his NFL career with the Jaguars in 2023, he hopes to put the past behind him and get back to work on the football field. The former Falcons wideout said he has no ill will towards the city or franchise.

It feels so good to be back home in Florida, where this dream started, with a clean slate. But also I want to make it clear that I don’t have a bad word to say about the Falcons or the city of Atlanta. That’s still my second home, and where my daughter was born. I tried to give y’all everything I had, until the wheels came off. It’s all love, forever.

Ultimately, a fresh start was the best thing for both Ridley and the Falcons. And for fans still holding resentment, remember Atlanta’s 2024 draft compensation is related to Ridley’s performance with the Jaguars.

During his four seasons with the Falcons, Ridley racked up 248 catches for 3,342 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns.