The legalization of sports betting has tempted many, including NFL’s Calvin Ridley, who was found guilty of violating the organization’s gambling policy and was suspended indefinitely in March 2022.
He is now coming back, though, confident that he has been able to move past his transgressions and is ready to take his responsibilities seriously. Ridley will be playing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the upcoming season, and even though he missed a season, his new team seems to have confidence in him.
The Jaguars are not disturbed by the player’s past antics, though, and focus on his ability on the field instead. “We look forward to building a relationship with Calvin as both an individual and as a player,” the team said in a statement, hailing the player and his return to the sport. The Jaguars called him a proven playmaker.
Ridley was similarly excited about the opportunity to return to the sport once again. He explained that he was extremely pleased to see the prohibition against him lifted so that he can continue his professional chapter. Ridley assured that his previous behavior was a momentary lapse in judgement that would not be repeated moving forward.
“I have always owned my mistakes, and this is no different. I have great respect for the game and am excited for the opportunity to restart my career in Jacksonville,” the player said thanking the club for vesting their trust in him. It’s no coincidence that the Jaguars pounced at the opportunity to nab the player from the Atlanta Falcons.
Great Talent Returning to the Field Reformed
While his time off the field is definitely a reason for concern, his performance has been unassailable. He managed to realize 90 catches for 1,374 yards and bring in nine touchdowns in 15 games. As to his interaction with sports gambling, Ridley assured that he had no problem with gambling.
He ended up betting money in Florida through the Hard Rock Sportsbook in November 2021, which was investigated and flagged by Genius Sports, a company that tracks breaches and integrity conflicts between sports betting and athletes.
At the time of his suspension, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell offered his stern criticism of the player accusing him of having undermined the integrity of the game and damaging the public confidence. Things though are now well with Ridley keen to get back into the thick of it.