It happened. In the new era of sports where gambling is more mainstream, a player from the National Football League has been caught gambling on the game.
The league sent out a press release today that said Calvin Ridley will be suspended for the whole of the next season for gambling on football games. While he was on the non- football injury list, this happened. He played in only five games for the Falcons this past season and caught 31 passes for 281 yards and two touchdown. On Halloween, Ridley said he needed to step away from football to focus on his mental health. The Houston Texans and New England Pats had expressed interest in trading for Ridley, according to a report by an NFL Insider.
According to the NFL, no games were compromised in any way and no members of the Falcons organization were aware that Ridley bet on games. The Falcons were included in the bets placed by Ridley.
Since the United States Supreme Court ruled that the national ban on sports gambling was unconstitutional, a number of players have been suspended from the National Football League. Josh Shaw was a defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals. The NFL suspended him for the rest of the season and all of 2020 because he was on injured reserve. His betting was done without the knowledge of his teammates or the coaches. Shaw wasn't picked up by any team in free agency after he was reinstated.
It is one thing for sports gambling to be legal in America, but it is another thing for the leagues to promote it. The NBA, MLB, and the National Football League are trying to create another revenue stream by promoting an industry that is a real threat to the integrity of their games. When it was discovered that former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was giving professional gambler tips on games he worked in exchange for money, he ended up serving time in prison.
There was no room for the Commissioner to be fair with Shaw and now Ridley. It is not an explicit lifetime ban like the one the MLB imposed on Pete Rose in 1989 who bet on his team while managing the Cincinnati Reds. One year is similar to a lifetime ban in the NFL because of how short the average career is in that sport.
The integrity of the league was put at risk by the suspensions of both players. It's one of the truest statements he ever made, and needs to be remembered as the NFL investigates Brian Flores' accusation that Stephen Ross offered him money to lose games. The public believes that they are watching fixed games, which can kill sports. It could cause them to stop betting on sports.
As long as there is no new information, he will likely get another chance, as he had his first 90-catch, 1,000-plus yard season in 2020. Reminders and compliance videos will likely be sent to players, coaches, referees, anyone who is involved in the result of games. The league may be selling gambling, but those involved in the actual games need to never open a sports betting site, much less place a wager.
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