Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley reportedly applied for reinstatement on Wednesday after being suspended for the 2022 NFL season for betting on league games, according to ESPN.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will review Ridley’s appeal for reinstatement and decide if the 28-year-old can return to the gridiron next season. Wednesday reportedly marked the first time that Ridley was able to apply for reinstatement.
The Falcons traded Ridley to the Jaguars on Nov. 1 for a 2023 fifth-round pick and a ’24 conditional fourth-round pick. However, that latter pick could end up as high as a second-round selection if Ridley signs an extension with the franchise. According to ESPN, he will earn a guaranteed $11.116 million in ’23 if Jacksonville reinstates him because of the fifth-year option from his Falcons’ rookie deal.
Ridley hasn’t competed in a game since the Falcons’ mid-October victory against the Dolphins. A week after his last game, Ridley wrote in a note that he was stepping away from football to focus on his “mental well-being.” He was later suspended in March when the league found that he bet on NFL games during a five-day period when he was not with the Falcons in late Nov. 2021.
Ridley tweeted context for the situation in wake of the league’s announcement, claiming he doesn’t have a gambling problem and spent a total of $1,500 when he did bet on games. Ridley also said he “couldn’t even watch football” at the time that he placed his bets.
Ridley spent his first four seasons with Atlanta, finishing his tenure with a total of 248 receptions out of 380 attempts for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns in 49 games.
