Calvin Ridley opens up about gambling suspension in open letter

Calvin Ridley opens up about gambling suspension in open letter,Calvin Ridley opened up about "the worst mistake" of his life when he gambled on football while away from the Falcons in 2021 in a powerful essay for The Players' Tribune.

Calvin Ridley opens up about gambling suspension in open letter

Calvin Ridley opened up about “the worst mistake” of his life when he gambled on football while away from the Falcons in 2021 in a powerful essay for The Players’ Tribune.

“I’m not here to sugarcoat anything,” said Ridley. He cut straight to the point.

“I f—ed up,” began his open letter.

He admitted he was severely limited throughout his breakout 2020 season — when he had 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. “I was killing it on one foot,” he said.

“Actually, I had played through bone spurs my first two years. Just gritted through it with painkillers. But then, my third year, the wheels came off,” continued Ridley.

He played through a foot injury that was initially ruled as a bone bruise but was later found to be a fracture.

Ridley rushed back from offseason foot surgery in 2021 for the start of the season but was “a shell of myself.” He played in five games in 2021 and finished the season with 31 receptions, 281 yards and two touchdowns.

He stepped away from the Falcons for mental health reasons after Week 7 and revealed his injury was only part of what he was going through. He recalled a harrowing account where armed gunmen broke into his home during the opening game of the season when his family was thankfully at the game and away from home.

“That’s when I really just started to feel the weight of the world on my chest,” Ridley wrote. “All I wanted was to be at home with my wife and daughter. We were supposed to go play in London, but I just couldn’t leave them. That’s when I finally broke down and told the team I needed help.”

Ridley didn’t play in the team’s Week 5 game in the UK and played his final game of the season on Oct. 24, 2021.

It was during his season-ending absence that he “made a stupid mistake” by betting on a Falcons game. He explained he “wasn’t trying to cheat the game,” and only bet after being “off the grid,” completely away from the team.

“Whenever people ask, ‘What were you thinking?’ The only answer I can give is, ‘I wasn’t.’ When you’re depressed, you’re not thinking about anything in the future. You’re just trying to get through the day,” Ridley said.

His candidness in what was happening behind the scenes and acceptance of his own mistakes was celebrated by many online.

Outstanding. https://t.co/bBR6SFhHlj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2023

Calvin Ridley covers EVERYTHING in this. It’s fantastic. How he had 1,300 yards and 9 TDs playing on a broken foot all year. How he came to such a dark place mentally. Also how healthy he is now, not just physically, but more importantly … mentally. Bravo. https://t.co/eJ2Pr7h5zj
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) March 8, 2023

This is exceptional. Please read it, especially if you’re one of the people who had little to no compassion and empathy for Ridley when he stepped away from the Falcons to focus on his mental health. I hope this kid balls out in Jacksonville. https://t.co/43c4W204gS
— Jeanna Kelley (@jeannathomas) March 8, 2023

Ridley finished the letter by thanking the Jaguars for taking a chance on him and expressing no ill will toward the Falcons organization for misdiagnosing his initial foot injury.

“It’s all love, forever,” Ridley wrote.

If he bounces back as strong as he suggests he will — “I’m giving Jacksonville 1,400 yards a season, period,” Ridley added — the lovefest will extend far into next season.