Ridley Ridicule: NFL's Hypocrisy Exposed with Suspension of Falcons Receiver

NFL banished Calvin Ridley a full season for simply doing what it wants all its fans to do: Gamble

Richie Whitt | Mar 8, 2022

You want hyper hypocrisy? It's just a matter of time until one of the NFL's seven gambling partners encourages bettors to wager on the exact date of reinstatement for Calvin Ridley.

Ridley or Cooper?

Arthur Blank

Calvin Ridley

From the Atlanta Falcons receiver's one-year suspension for gambling, to former Miami Dolphins Brian Flores' accusation that he was paid to purposefully lose games, to lesser penalties for more serious player missteps, to dragging - even nonexistent - investigations into owner malfeasance, the NFL has totally blurred its line of "integrity".

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote this to Ridley in the letter notifying him of Monday's suspension:

“There is nothing more fundamental to the NFL’s success — and to the reputation of everyone associated with our league — than upholding the integrity of the game. This is the responsibility of every player, coach, owner, game official, and anyone else employed in the league. Your actions put the integrity of the game at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football, and potentially undermined the reputations of your fellow players throughout the NFL."

Hog. Wash.

Make no mistake, Ridley is not an innocent victim. Citing mental health struggles, he left the Falcons after five games in 2021 and never returned. Last week he posted a cryptic tweet and then seemingly laughed at Falcons fans begging for his return to Atlanta. And yes, he admits to betting $1,500 on NFL games - including a wager on the Falcons to win a game in late November.

But 17 games?! An entire season?! For the - gasp - travesty of gambling?!

In response to their domestic abuse incidents, the same NFL suspended Kareen Hunt eight games, Ezekiel Elliott six, Greg Hardy four and Ray Rice two. Adrian Peterson's felony child abuse drew only six games.

And what of the punishment to owners or teams? The Dallas Cowboys recently awarded a $2.5 million settlement for voyeurism of their cheerleaders without a peep from Goodell. The Patriots Robert Kraft gets a happy ending? Crickets. The investigation into the Dolphins Stephen Ross for alleged tanking directives is taking months; the one into Washington's Dan Snyder improper actions years.

Ridley and his victim-less crime were whisked to "justice" within several weeks.

Ridley

Oh, and we're just getting the juiciest part of the plot:

In August 2021, the NFL announced agreements with FOX Bet, BetMGM, PointsBet, and WynnBET to become "Approved Sportsbook Operators" for the 2021 NFL season. These agreements make all four operators eligible to purchase NFL in-game commercial units and other select NFL media inventory. This after announcing agreements with sportsbook partnerships with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel that April.

Not only did the NFL enter into partnerships with seven different gambling entities, the league also agreed to provide data to help the process. It's wholly fraudulent for the NFL to pretend to be a paragon of integrity while also raking in money from gambling partnerships.

This is trash. free Calvin https://t.co/jF3wLwGa2y
— Matthew Judon (@man_dammn) March 8, 2022

Players - past and present - are not happy about the swiftness or duration of Ridley's suspension. And they're right.

When extolling its precious "integrity", it's time for Goodell and the NFL to take a long, hard look in the mirror.

Published Mar 8, 2022

RICHIE WHITT

Richie has been a multi-media fixture in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex since his graduation from UT-Arlington in 1986, with his career highlighted by successful stints in print, TV and radio. During those 35 years he's blabbed and blogged on events ranging from Super Bowls to NBA Finals to World Series to Stanley Cups to Olympics to Wimbeldons to World Cups. Whitt has been covering the NFL from every angle since 1989.