Report: Calvin Ridley's gambling issue could be bigger than he said
It turns out there’s more to Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley’s sports gambling than we originally knew.
Ridley reportedly placed six bets on a Falcons game — putting down a total of $3,900 — and put $300 on an 11-leg parlay to potentially win $144,000, according to a new report by SportsHandle’s Brett Smiley. Five of those bets were parlays that included the Falcons on the money line. Another was a $1,300 live bet in the second half of Atlanta’s 21-14 win on Nov. 28, Smiley reported. All six of Ridley’s wagers involving the Falcons were graded as losses, Smiley revealed.
This information comes after Ridley previously admitted on his Twitter account that he only bet $1,500 total.
The former first-round pick out of Alabama also reportedly placed two additional $100 bets on NFL games not involving the Falcons, and won both for an alleged profit of $654, Smiley reported.
All told, Ridley allegedly played 33 wagers — on more than just the Falcons and the NFL — totaling more than $32,000, according to Smiley, and reportedly made $2,744 on his bets.
Earlier this week, the NFL announced Ridley’s season-long suspension for betting on games. All of the wagers came while he was away from the team for “mental health” concerns and on the non-football injury list. He was in Florida when he placed the bets, and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported the app called a compliance company the NFL hired to monitor these situations.
Teams reportedly called the Falcons about potentially trading for the former Alabama standout, but Atlanta wouldn’t listen to offers. In fact, FOX’s Jay Glazer reported the Philadelphia Eagles expressed interest, but the Falcons backed out and couldn’t tell the Eagles why.
Calvin Ridley responds to his year-long suspension from the NFL
Calvin Ridley only appeared in five games last season with the Atlanta Falcons, citing mental health concerns for him landing on the non-football injury list on November 5. Now, the NFL has issued Ridley a one-year suspension due to gambling on games.
On Sunday, the day before his suspension was announced, Ridley tweeted a cryptic message, which is likely related to the news that was announced on Monday.
“I learn from my Ls,” Ridley tweeted.
This past season, Ridley played in five games, bringing in 31 receptions for 281 yards and two touchdowns. He was a Second Team All-Pro in 2020 after hauling in 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. Ridley caught at least 63 passes with over 800 yards in each of his first two years in the league.
Ridley’s future with the Falcons was in question entering this offseason. He was viewed as a possible trade candidate, but now, he will instead not be playing anywhere next season. But Ridley wanted to make one thing clear: He doesn’t have a gambling problem.
“I bet 1500 total I don’t have a gambling problem,” Ridley tweeted after his suspension was announced.