Posted on: February 20, 2023, 06:17h.
Final up to date on: February 20, 2023, 06:17h.
Calvin Ridley, at the moment banned from taking part in within the NFL after he guess on video games in the course of the 2021 season, is in search of reinstatement.
A number of media shops reported the 28-year-old vast receiver submitted his software final Wednesday, the primary day he was eligible to take action.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell formally introduced the suspension on March 7, 2022. The league considers Ridley indefinitely suspended, however on the time, it introduced he would miss at the least the 2022 season.
The season formally ended final week.
Ridley was suspended after the NFL discovered he positioned bets on video games in November 2021. That was shortly after he introduced he wanted to take a go away from the Atlanta Falcons, citing psychological well being considerations. The Falcons then positioned him on its non-football damage checklist.
Among the many bets Ridley made have been ones on the Falcons.
A league investigation discovered no proof to counsel Ridley used inside data whereas making his wagers, nor was there any proof his coaches, teammates, or workforce officers knew about his wagers.
Ridley Has Supporters
It’s unsure when or if Goodell will act on Ridley’s software. Nonetheless, the previous 1,000-yard receiver seems to have some high-profile supporters in his nook.
Excited to see my man Calvin Ridley again on the sphere, so pleased for my younger boul to select up the place he left off,” former Cincinnati Bengals nice Chad Johnson tweeted final Wednesday.
Ridley has performed elements of 4 seasons within the league. His greatest season got here in 2020, when he performed in 15 video games and caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards. In 49 profession video games with the Atlanta Falcons, he caught 248 passes for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Excited to see my man Calvin Ridley again on the sphere, so pleased for my younger boul to select up the place he left off 🙏🏾
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) February 15, 2023
Ought to the league reinstate Ridley, he won’t swimsuit up for the Falcons. Final November, Atlanta traded Ridley to the Jacksonville Jaguars for conditional picks on this 12 months’s and subsequent 12 months’s NFL Drafts.
If he can regain his type, or come near that, Ridley may set up himself as the highest receiving menace for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. That would definitely assist a workforce that shocked many by successful six of its final seven regular-season video games to earn the AFC South title.
Newest on Others Suspended
Ridley will not be the one particular person who has been punished for violating NFL guidelines pertaining to playing since US states may legalize sports activities betting in wake of the US Supreme Court docket overturning the Skilled and Newbie Sports activities Safety Act (PASPA) almost 5 years in the past.
In November 2019, the league suspended Arizona Cardinals defensive again Josh Shaw by at the least the 2020 season after he positioned wagers on video games at a Caesars Sportsbook in Las Vegas. Goodell reinstated Shaw on March 20, 2021, however no NFL workforce signed him. He did Play final season for the Birmingham Stallions within the USFL.
This previous December, the league additionally suspended then-New York Jets receivers coach Miles Austin III after it decided he guess on different sports activities. Whereas the NFL has a strict across-the-board coverage towards betting on league video games and occasions for gamers, coaches, and workforce workers, the league’s playing coverage additionally bars coaches and workforce officers from betting on different professional, main collegiate, and international sporting occasions.
Austin has appealed his suspension.
