Calvin Ridley hopes to set an example for Jaguars' teammates after year-long gambling suspension

As legalized betting has become more widely embraced across the United States, players at various levels in sports have gotten trapped in it to their own detriment, at times. Few have experienced that the way former Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley, the victim of a year-long gambling suspension, has.

After steeping away from the game for a bit during the 2022 season in Atlanta, Ridley was found to be placing bets on NFL games, including some of Atlanta’s.

He was suspended for an entire season by the NFL, forfeiting his $11.1 million salary that year in the process.

Yet despite Ridley’s gambling suspension mishap, other NFL players have seemingly not gotten the memo, with a handful suspended for betting in the wake of his suspension. Ridley is miffed that more NFL players weren’t shaken by what happened to him.

“Yeah, it bugs me a little because my NFL buddies didn’t look at me and say, ‘Aw man, hell, that’s serious,’” Ridley told the Florida Times-Union.

“I wish they would’ve looked at me and said, ‘Wow, they did him like that? I hope it doesn’t happen to me.’ Because that’s what I would’ve done. If I would’ve seen one of my NFL buddies get slammed like that, I would’ve been a little bit afraid and watching myself. But you know, it is what it is, they have to learn the hard way like I did. It’s gonna be alright though.”

In the wake of Ridley’s season-long gambling suspension, the NFL has now issued three more season-long suspensions.

The league came out and dinged Detroit’s Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore, as well as Arizona’s Shaka Toney, for an entire year for betting on games. Meanwhile, Detroit wideouts Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill III were suspended for six games for violating the league’s betting policy.

They are the latest to experience what Ridley went through as part of a growing crackdown on betting in the league, even while access to online sports betting has beenn promulgated.

Even with the other suspensions, Ridley has done what he can to avail himself of any players asking about his situation, including his new Jacksonville teammates.

“A couple guys reached out. I just schooled them on what I know and how serious it is,” Ridley said. “I think, even for me, once I found out I was getting investigated, I didn’t even know [how serious it was]. I was like, ‘okay, cool.’ I didn’t know how serious it was until I left that interview.

“It’s just schooling the guys on not to do it. It’s not worth it at all. I really think we don’t understand how serious it is. We kind of go over it and then it’s gone. It’s a real serious offense. You don’t want to do it, mess with the integrity of the game and your job. Just stay away from it if you can.”

Ridley was reinstated by the NFL following his suspension in March. He was previously signed by Jacksonville during his suspension, and he’ll be able to suit up for the Jaguars this fall after more than a year and a half away from the gridiron due to his gambling suspension.