Moved to the Jaguars just before the 2022 trade deadline, Calvin Ridley will attempt to make his way back into the NFL. Ridley’s gambling suspension sidelined him last season, and the former first-round pick must apply for reinstatement to return.
Wednesday marks the first day Ridley could apply to be reinstated, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports the embattled wide receiver did just that (Twitter link). The Jags acquired Ridley from the Falcons for a package that hinges on his availability and potential second contract.
The league handed Ridley the suspension after an investigation concluded he bet on NFL games during a short period in November 2021. Ridley is on the short list of players to be banned for gambling — one that includes Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Alex Karras, and former top-five QB pick Art Schlichter — but upon making the trade, the Jags received assurances he would be ready to play in 2023.
Ridley, 28, has been out longer than his suspension duration. The former 1,000-yard receiver left the Falcons abruptly midway through the 2021 season, citing mental health issues. Ridley last played on Oct. 24, 2021. The Jags still took him off the Falcons’ payroll, adding a four-year starter to a receiving corps that looks a bit more promising after the results of last season.
Jacksonville signed Christian Kirk to a four-year, $72MM contract — a deal that became more reasonable after the receiver market’s boom over the next few months — and gave Zay Jones a three-year, $24MM deal. Ridley is still tied to his rookie contract, which calls for an $11.12MM fifth-year option in 2023. That option is now the Jags’ responsibility. The Jags now have a reasonable path to a 2023 pass-catching corps featuring Kirk, Jones, Ridley and tight end Evan Engram, whom they want to re-sign.
Once the NFL rules on Ridley, a path to him practicing with his new team will come into focus. Ridley teamed with Julio Jones for three seasons in Atlanta but emerged as the Falcons’ top target when Jones went down with a hamstring injury in 2020. Ridley, who caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards that season, totaled 28 career touchdown receptions prior to his 2021 hiatus. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native has regularly been training on his own ahead of his next opportunity.
Hope he gets reinstated immediately. He bet on his own team to win. Stupid mistake, let him learn from it and continue his career.
Mistake? I think he knew this was against league rules.
He was under contract, but he wasn’t even with the team then so it’s not like he could influence the outcome. Nevertheless, rules are rules with regard to betting on NFL games. Hopefully, he’ll be reinstated in short order.
The NFL takes a harder stance on gambling than on domestic violence and sexual assault.
Because betting on games you are playing has a direct impact on the integrity of the league? Personal life stuff is just public issues.
But he wasn’t playing in those games.
Doesn’t matter. There is a clause in every players contract that states it against NFL rules to wager on games.
Based on this year’s officiating, it hasn’t stopped the refs from betting on their games…
Rocket32, Sherman and Kamara agree, neither saw any discipline and continued playing after their last horrific run-ins with the law.
So did Pete Rose and look what they’ve done to him
Pete did it to himself
Pete willingly agreed to a lifetime ban which should make you wonder what they have over him that hasn’t yet been made public.
I’m hoping he can get his act together because when healthy he has shown the potential to be a game changer.
I bet he gets reinstated
Not saying it’s realistic or that I want it to happen, but wouldn’t it be mildly amusing if Goodell said he learned from the Josh Gordon experience and decided no reinstatement?
2 to 1 odds he does too
I see what you did there!!
As the NFL tells us ‘gamble responsible’. OK to sell gambling; except for their entire 100,000+ employees (HQ, and all 32 teams staff’s.).
Big time boost to the jags offense if he get reinstated
The people saying that he had no influence on the game are missing the point. If he has inside information such as knowing certain guys are injured or knowing his team has a crappy week of practice, that’s a long the same lines as insider trading.
The sport will lose whatever integrity it has left if you allow players to bet, it’s that simple.
I get what you’re saying about integrity of the game, but there’s not enough insider trading in the world to make someone a likely threat to win the sorts of parlays he was betting. He’s already been penalized $11.1 million and had his free agency pushed back by a year. If the goal is deterring other players, that’s a pretty threatening punishment.
Completely agree that he should be reinstated. He’s paid his due. My point was referring to people that say players should be allowed to bet on sports, which I am strongly against.
It’s not at all like insider trading. If it was the feds would make it illegal, and the Sportsbook wouldn’t take his bet. You don’t think the odds makers already know everything there is to know? Plus the game is still left to chance.
Insider trading is completely different. In sports it’s no given any team can’t beat the odds any game. No matter what the circumstances deem likely or not.
Insider trading is when you know for sure something is about to happen, and then you trade stock based on that.
Two completely different things.
Well stated!!
First off, the sportsbook probably didn’t know it was Ridley placing the bet. I doubt his username was CalvinRidleyGoTide11. But I disagree about insider trading. It’s not a perfect parallel but any knowledge of the inner workings gives him an advantage against the bookmakers. If he knows his starting LB injured his shoulder lifting weights, it’s not necessarily something the media would know.
I’m just against players betting on sports in general. Promoting betting is different than actually engaging in it. Players betting questions the integrity of the league and it’s a bad look. Players can make money 1000 other ways.
You have to enter your real name and credit card info. How do you think he got caught? What do you think the proof was?
I don’t see any similarities at all. Teams have to put out injury reports. Sure maybe he knows something about a teammate the public doesn’t know but that by no means guarantees anything on the field whatsoever. Your scenario of the shoulder injury would only apply if he bet against his team anyways. Insider trading is when you know the company is declaring bankruptcy soon or can’t last long on its margins before it goes under so you start selling and tell your golf buddies to sell. That’s a sure thing. That’s cheating thousands of shareholders out money.
I’ll just have to really disagree with everything you’re saying. I don’t think you’re making a good argument here.
He could have used his wife’s name and credit card or a relative. There’s no way he can be that dumb
He made a three multi-leg parley on Three – Five – Eight team parley. He won on the five team, what are those odds? That is Nancy Peloci insider stock purchasing.
Clearly the NFL understands that Ridleys bet’s were made on information he knew and that makes it insider trading. Considering that the NFL owns (and are Tri-Exclusive partners) with DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesers, along with so-called “secondary deals” with BetMGM, WynnBet, FoxBet, and PointsBet….
The Commissioner took action that the owners agreed with to protect their gambling interests.
If it’s inside trading then why isn’t it illegal? Why isn’t it a crime? Why would the betting parlors allow him to bet if he had an unfair advantage over them? Wouldn’t he be just cheating them? He’s not cheating anyone else if he places a bet on draft kings based on inside info. It wouldn’t affect any of our bets. But insider trading screws over thousands and thousands of shareholders.
You guys can’t see the difference? Ones a serious crime one isn’t. It’s only an NFL rule because they’re the only ones that are negatively effected by it. It’s not good for the NFL brand. It raises too many suspicions and calls the games integrity into question. But it’s not hurting anyone or the general public, like in the case of insider trading.
There is a reason that his multi leg parlay was investigated since it came so close hitting. There is also a reason that the Owners, Player, Agent, and Players Union all agreed to the suspension. Please connect the dots.
Also, just an FYI…. Insider trading does not always screw over thousands and thousands, that would be a pyramid scheme. I personally know of 4 sitting in a Fed right now on insider and other charges. The only ones effected were the players and their families.
I’m sure his reinstatement hearing will be sponsored by Draft Kings.
Probably, they sponsor everything else.
Is reinstatement automatic for these kinds of things? Is it reasonable that he would be blocked? No idea how the process works.
I don’t think there are enough precedents to say, and even fewer recent ones, but the most famous case was Hornung and Karras, who were both reinstated after one year. Seems unlikely he’d be blocked permanently, especially for fairly small bets, but it could be affected by how Ridley shows accountability or not.
I get the fears around players gambling and why the league comes down so hard on it. At the same time, it’s also a little funny for people to get purist about a league that isn’t just business partners with the gambling industry and as popular as it is in large part because of gambling, but also still has multiple ownership groups descended from illegal gambling roots. Tim Mara was a bookie before founding the Giants. Charley Bidwell was a Capone associate who operated a race track and was part of George Halas’ purchase of the Bears before he bought the Cardinals.
Yeah it’s def one thing to bet against your team and then start dropping passes or fumbling during the game. It’s another to just bet a parlay or even in favor of your team I could stretch it to.
There’s certainly hypocrisy in the league acting all high and mighty towards Ridley meanwhile they’re in bed with the gambling industry.
It still is pretty stupid for Ridley to bet on the NFL when he must have known it was big trouble. If you’re gonna do it, don’t leave a trail online. Find the local bookie and make it with cash. That way there’s at least plausible deniability if you get ratted out.
Smart move by the Jags btw. They’re going to be exciting next year.
Don’t bet on him getting reinstated early lol
Given that the owners are in bed with almost every betting agency his dalliance looks pretty unimportant.
Ridley’s mental issues are more relevant as he might not be too reliable at this point, even if he still has his previous skills.