Two days after being reinstated by the NFL, Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley has spoken at length about his per-game suspension.
The NFL suspended Ridley in March of last year for betting on NFL games over a five-day period while he was sidelined at the end of 2021, though Ridley has said he now did not intend to “tarnish the game” and I was battling depression and anxiety.
“In 2021 I made the worst mistake of my life when betting on soccer,” he said in an article for Players’ Tribune.
I have paid the price, believe me. I’ve seen all the jokes. I’ve seen all the hate. And I can assume all of that, no problem. All I want is for people to understand that when I made those bets, there was a lot more going on with me.
‘Back then, I was depressed. He was fighting anxiety. He didn’t even want to leave my house. Soccer was the only thing that gave my life meaning, and I couldn’t even find joy in it at the time. Honestly, he couldn’t even get me out of the chair in my living room. Everything was just…dark.
Calvin Ridley last played in the NFL on October 24, 2021 for the Falcons
The former Falcons catcher missed an entire year due to his suspension from the game
Ridley later detailed that he had been battling foot problems for the first three seasons of his career and was diagnosed with a broken foot two months before the start of the 2021 season.
The former Falcons receiver recovered from surgery in time for the season, but said he was “mentally drained” and began experiencing anxiety at the time, unable to play without pain medication.
Ridley’s problems were compounded when his house was robbed, as he decided to miss the team’s game in London and take time off from the sport.
When Ridley placed the bets, he said he had been off the team for “about a month,” and the league’s investigation found no evidence of insider trading in any games.
However, it was a mistake that cost him an entire season of his career.
‘I just screwed up. Period. In a dark moment, I made a stupid mistake. I wasn’t trying to cheat at the game. That is what I want to make clear,” she said.
‘At that point, I had been completely away from the team for about a month. She was still so depressed and angry, and the days were so long. She was looking for anything to distract me from things and make the day go by faster. One day, I saw a TV commercial for a gambling app, and for some reason, I downloaded it to my phone.
Ridley had a hugely impressive season last time he stayed healthy for a full year
“I deposited like $1,500 in total, literally just to do something,” he continued. I was going to bet like $200 on some NBA games that night, but then I added a bunch more games to a parlay. I put the Falcons on it. I was just doing it to root for my kids, basically. He didn’t have any insider information. I wasn’t even talking to anyone on the team at the time. I was totally off the grid.
Every time people ask, ‘What were you thinking?’ The only answer I can give is: ‘I wasn’t.’
Ridley, who posted 1,374 in the last full season he played, ended the article on a positive note.
‘Right now, I feel stronger than ever, mentally and physically. In the field, I’m flying. Trust me, I’m flying. That GPS band doesn’t lie. In the name of my daughter, if I am healthy? With Trevor Lawrence? I’m giving Jacksonville 1,400 yards a season, period.
The chemistry between Ridley and his quarterback was already on display in a video shared by the Jaguars’ Twitter account, as Lawrence told him he was “thrilled” to have the All-Pro catcher and that they would “start pitching in two weeks.”