Bama Central

Calvin Ridley Stepping Away From Football For A Bit

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver to "focus on my mental wellbeing" for a while.

Christopher Walsh

NFL

Former University of Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley announced that he's stepping away from football and the Atlanta Falcons for a while. 

Ridley was ruled out of Atlanta's game on Sunday vs. the Panthers due to an undisclosed personal matter. During the second half of the contest, Ridley released a statement providing an update on his status.

"These past few weeks have been very challenging and as much as I'd like to be on the field competing with my teammates, I need to step away from football at this time and focus on my mental wellbeing," Ridley wrote. "This will help me be the best version of myself now and in the future.

"I want to thank my teammates, the entire Atlanta Falcons organization, our great fans, my friends, and my family for all of their support during this time."

Ridley did not travel for the team's Oct. 10 game in England against the Jets, citing a personal matter. He returned, however, last week vs. the Dolphins.

On the season, Ridley has 31 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns.

Ridley, 26, is in his fourth season with Atlanta after being the No. 26 pick in the 2018 NFL draft. He recorded more than 800 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons. 

"I'll let Calvin speak for himself. It's a personal issue. I'm not going to go into many details," Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said after Sunday's 19-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers. 

"When we realized he wasn't going to go this morning, we made him inactive."

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.