Sad news: The Atlanta Falcons have just announced one of their best players suspensions due to domestic violence
Calvin Ridley, a wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, received a full season suspension on Monday for his involvement in NFL wagering. There was no indication to imply that Ridley had used inside information or affected the results of any games, according to the league’s investigation, which concluded that Ridley placed the wagers while away from the club in November to focus on his mental health.
The NFL added that it was satisfied there were no further Falcons players engaged. Ridley made a mistake. Sure, the punishment seems severe: in addition to losing $11 million in pay, he would forfeit a year of his peak playing years over bets he claimed to have staked $1,500. Furthermore, the proportionality raises questions considering the lighter sentences handed down for instances of cheating, lying about a person’s Covid vaccination status, actual child abuse, and heinous acts of gender-based violence. However, it is illegal to wager on your own sport, much less your own club, so the NFL obviously wanted to establish a precedent.
However, there’s something strange about using Ridley as a headliner at a moment when the NFL is making millions of dollars from gambling—something it considered a poisonous element and battled tooth and claw not too long ago. Going from a century of moral police to essentially turning into a sportsbook with a little football on the side is a drastic turn of events.
