NFL: Falcons WR, Alabama great Calvin Ridley suspended through 2022 season for betting on games

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Atlanta Falcons wide receiver and Alabama great Calvin Ridley has been suspended indefinitely through at least the conclusion of the 2022 season for betting on NFL games during the 2021 season, the NFL announced.

NFL leaders said a league investigation uncovered no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised. There was no evidence suggesting any awareness by coaches, staff, teammates, or other players of Ridley’s betting activity, according to the NFL statement.

The NFL said the betting activity took place during a five-day period in late November 2021 while Ridley was away from the team and away from the club’s facility on the non-football illness list.

In October 2021, Ridley announced he was stepping away from football to focus on his “mental wellbeing.”

In a letter to Ridley, Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote:

“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. 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.”

Ridley tweeted Monday. “I bet 1500 total I don’t have a gambling problem.”