Jaguars' Calvin Ridley Says 'I F--ked Up' While Discussing Gambling Suspension

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley was reinstated by the NFL this week after his yearlong suspension for gambling on NFL games. On Wednesday, he opened up about his transgression.

"I f***ed up," Ridley wrote on The Players' Tribune. "I'm not here to sugarcoat anything. In 2021, I made the worst mistake of my life by gambling on football."

Ridley last played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. He played in five games before announcing he would step away from football because of mental health reasons.

In March 2022, the league suspended him for at least one season for betting on NFL games, including those involving the Falcons. He also had to forfeit his $11.1 million salary for last year.

In his essay, Ridley explained what led him to gamble on NFL games:

"I just f***ed up. Period. In a dark moment, I made a stupid mistake. I wasn't trying to cheat the game. That's the thing I want to make clear. At the time, I had been completely away from the team for about a month. I was still just so depressed and angry, and the days were so long. I was looking for anything to take my mind off of things and make the day go by faster. One day, I saw a TV commercial for a betting app, and for whatever reason, I downloaded it on my phone. I deposited like $1,500 total, literally just for something to do. I was going to bet like $200 on some NBA games that night, but then I just added a bunch more games to a parlay. I put the Falcons in on it. I was just doing it to root on my boys, basically. I didn't have any inside information. I wasn't even talking to anybody on the team at the time. I was totally off the grid."

During his last full season in 2020, Ridley established himself as one of the premiere pass-catchers in the NFL. He recorded 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns on his way to earning second-team All-Pro honors.

Ridley added that his time away from football made him appreciate the game more, and he's excited to get back to doing what he loves. The Jaguars are surely looking forward to his return as well, as they will be adding him to a core that made a run to the divisional round of the playoffs last season led by rising young quarterback Trevor Lawrence.