NFL suspends Atlanta Falcons WR Calvin Ridley for at least 2022 season for betting on games

Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley has been suspended for at least the 2022 season after gambling on games in 2021.

The NFL released a statement Monday announcing his suspension, saying he gambled on games over a five-day stretch in November 2021 when he was on the non-football injury list to address his mental health.

Ridley stepped away from football on Halloween, saying he needed to get his personal life in order.

In a series of tweets Monday after the suspension was announced, Ridley said he bet $1,500 total and that «I don't have a gambling problem.» He also tweeted that he couldn't even watch football at the time he made the bets. He added that he's just going to «be more healthy when I come back» and that «I know I was wrong But I'm getting 1 year lol.»

The NFL determined that Ridley placed multilegged parlay bets involving three, five and eight games that included the Falcons to win via his mobile device out of state, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The NFL learned of Ridley's betting activity through its relationships within the legal sports betting industry, a source told ESPN's David Purdum.

«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,» NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to Ridley notifying him of his suspension. «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.

»For decades, gambling on NFL games has been