In what can only be described as an uneasy feeling, the NFL suspended Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley for the entire 2022 season on Monday. This is in the wake of Ridley betting over $1,500.00 on NFL games last season while inactive.
Ridley left the Falcons on Halloween, citing a need for mental clarity and a focus on his mental health.
The bets were parlays of between 3-8 teams, where the maximum payout would be at 180-1 odds. A $100.00 bet would have paid out $18,100 for the 8-team wager.
Ridley’s case is not close to the one that got Pete Rose banned for life from Major League Baseball. Rose bet on games while the active manager for the Cincinnati Reds. Ridley claims he could not watch the games he wagered on in real time.
After finishing 7-10 in 2021, Ridley was expected to be the second option for Matt Ryan, only behind Russell Gage. Ridley finished with 31 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Gage had 66 catches for 770 yards and four scores.
Matt Ryan will be 37 in May and is no closer to getting the Falcons back into contention in the NFC South, even with Tom Brady’s retirement in Tampa, and the quarterback uncertainties in both Charlotte and New Orleans. Julio Jones and Austin Hooper are long gone and the franchise seems to be in no hurry to make a push to move forward with their rebuild.
The highest-paid position player on the Atlanta roster is tight end Kyle Pitts, who is making just under $7.5 million on his rookie contract. Ryan is poised to make upwards of $48.6 million in 2022. In fact, the Falcons are still on the hook for Jones’ $15.5 million contract after shipping him to the Tennessee Titans back in June.
Ridley was positioned to make $11.1 million this season, which was Atlanta picking up his fourth-year option. That figure now defaults to 2023, assuming he will be reinstated by the league. Atlanta was $493,883 over the salary cap to close out last season. Even with the savings from Ridley, they are just $3.82 million under the cap. Having the eighth-overall pick in next month’s draft, it is estimated it will cost about $4.3 million to sign that player under contract, according to Spotrac.com.
The bigger picture is Ridley, 27, puts not only a dent into Atlanta’s draft strategy, but also outlines a problem that is likely to grow with more states allowing sports betting each year. Atlanta is projected to need to select a receiver in the first three rounds. The suspension means they may need to reach early for a potential starter, rather than a slot or possession receiver later on.
Casual fans like you and I can place bets on games, provided it does not directly impact the outcome. That my friends would be point-shaving or fixing. Section 2 of the NFL’s gambling policies dictate:
1. Betting on Football: All NFL Personnel are prohibited from placing, soliciting, or facilitating any bet, whether directly or indirectly through a third-party, on any NFL game, practice or other event. This includes betting on game outcome, statistics, score, performance of any individual participant, or any other kind of “proposition bet” on which wagering is offered.
If Ridley had made the same parlay on the NBA, the league may have done nothing more than send him a strongly-worded letter suggesting he be careful in the future. Instead, Ridley will now have this blemish attached to his record for the remainder of his career. Ridley is only the fifth active player to be suspended for gambling. Eventual Detroit Lion Hall of Famer Alex Karras was even banned for the 1963 season as a result of gambling.
Ridley can return and try to be like Karras, or he could in turn end up like Art Schlicter.
-JC24