Calvin Ridley’s betting reportedly included Falcons games

Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley reportedly bet on games involving Atlanta though the NFL found no evidence games were compromised.

Another layer to the Calvin Ridley betting scandal emerged shortly after the news broke on Monday and it’s not good for the wide receiver.

According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Ridley placed bets on games involving the Falcons.

The NFL made it clear in their statement on his suspension that “no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way.” They also said no players, coaches or employees in the Atlanta organization were aware of Ridley’s gambling.

Calvin Ridley reportedly bet on Falcons games but not against them

Albert Breer of The MMQB reported that Ridley’s bets included a series of parlays. He never bet against the Falcons, for what it’s worth.

For his part, Ridley responded to his suspension on social media by claiming he bet $1,500 in total and doesn’t have a gambling problem.

Ridley broke some of the most basic rules of being a professional athlete. First and foremost, don’t bet on your sport. And definitely don’t bet on games involving your organization.

It doesn’t matter that Ridley didn’t have the ability to impact games. It doesn’t matter that no games were compromised. It doesn’t matter that he put money on his team to win. The integrity of the game can’t be risked by allowing players to gamble on the sport under any circumstances.

The length of Ridley’s suspension reflects that.

Now Ridley has lost the whole of the 2022 season after playing just five games in 2021. By the time he’s eligible to play again, he will be a couple of years removed from his career 2020 season including 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns.

Ridley was supposed to enter the fifth year of his contract with the Falcons. Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess.