Atlanta — Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been suspended for the 2022 season for betting on NFL games in 2021.
The suspension announced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday is for activity that took place while Ridley was away from the team addressing mental health concerns. The league says the suspension will carry “through at least the conclusion of the 2022 season.”
The NFL says the betting took place during a five-day period in late November 2021. Ridley was placed on the non-football illness list following Week 8 last season, which ended Nov. 1.
A league investigation uncovered no evidence inside information was used or that any game was compromised by Ridley’s betting, Goodell’s announcement said. Nor was there evidence suggesting Falcons coaches, players or staff were aware of Ridley’s betting activity.
Ridley may petition for reinstatement after Feb. 23, 2023.
During the offseason, the Falcons have had no update on Ridley’s status. The team released a statement Monday in which it said it cooperated with the league’s investigation in the last month.
“We were first made aware of the league’s investigation on Feb. 9,” the Falcons said in the statement. “We have cooperated fully with the investigation since receiving notice, and support the league’s findings and actions. We are moving forward in the 2022 season with the decision that was made. With the decision that was made by the NFL, any further questions on the investigation should be directed to the league office.”
In a letter from Goodell to Ridley, the commissioner said:
“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.
“For decades, gambling on NFL games has been considered among the most significant violations of league policy warranting the most substantial sanction. In your case, I acknowledge and commend you for your promptly reporting for an interview, and for admitting your actions.”
Even before the suspension, Ridley’s future with the Falcons was in doubt. He sat out the final two months of the season after he was a last-minute scratch before the team’s 19-13 loss to Carolina on Oct. 31.
On that day, Ridley explained his absence when he wrote on his Twitter account “I need to step away from football at this time and focus on my mental well being.”
Ridley had posted no update on his Twitter account until Friday, when he posted an icon of a football and added “is life.” On Sunday, he added another update “I learn from my Ls.”
The Falcons’ 2018 first-round draft pick had 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. Ridley was expected to be quarterback Matt Ryan’s top playmaker after Julio Jones was traded to Tennessee before the 2021 season. But Ridley had only 31 receptions for 281 yards and two touchdowns in his shortened season.
The Falcons had been approximately $7.3 million over the salary cap for 2022. They will be able to remove Ridley’s $11.1 million salary from their payroll for the season, moving them under the cap. That contract shifts to 2023, when Ridley would have been a free agent.
Goodell suspended Arizona Cardinals cornerback Josh Shaw in November 2019 for gambling on an NFL game. Shaw has not played in the league since his suspension; he missed 21 games of the 2019 and 2020 schedules.
The most famous disciplining of NFL players for gambling came in 1963 when then-commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended star running back Paul Hornung of Green Bay and defensive tackle of Alex Karras of Detroit — both now Hall of Famers. Each was sidelined for that season, with Rozelle citing bets on league games and associating with gamblers or “known hoodlums.”
Twenty years later, Rozelle suspended Colts quarterback Art Schlichter, who was in just his second pro season.
“Schlichter will not be reinstated,” Rozelle said, ″until the league can be solidly assured that the serious violations of cardinal NFL rules he has committed will not be repeated.”
Schlichter was reinstated and played for 1984 and ‘85. But he couldn’t kick the gambling habit and eventually wound up in prison for a multimillion dollar ticketing scam.
NFL cornerback Richard Sherman pleads guilty to 2 charges
Seattle — Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Richard Sherman pleaded guilty in Seattle on Monday to two misdemeanor charges stemming from a drunken driving and domestic disturbance last summer, as part of an agreement that spares him further jail time.
Sherman was arrested July 14 after police said he crashed his SUV in a construction zone and tried to break into his in-laws’ suburban Seattle home. His father-in-law, Raymond Moss, told officers that he armed himself with a handgun and fired pepper-spray at Sherman to protect his family.
The break-in attempt was captured on the home’s surveillance camera, which was later released by the court.
Sherman, who said after the arrest he was “deeply remorseful,” pleaded guilty Monday in King County Superior Court to two misdemeanor counts, first-degree negligent driving and second-degree criminal trespass. He also admitted to a criminal infraction of speeding in a roadway construction zone.
“I’m grateful for the community we have and the way people continue to accept you even though you’re a flawed human being and made a mistake,” Sherman told the court.
Sherman, a former star with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, will pay about $825 in legal fees, plus $500 for speeding in the construction zone, and be under court supervision for two years. He will be responsible for paying an as-yet-undetermined amount in restitution for damage to his in-laws’ house and to the state transportation department.
The judge gave Sherman credit for the two days he spent in custody when he was first arrested and suspended the 88 days remaining on the sentence, meaning he won’t be required to serve any additional time behind bars if he keeps out of trouble.
In an email, the King County prosecutor’s office said the resolution was in line with comparable cases.
“Mr. Sherman did not get special treatment one way or the other,” spokesman Casey McNerthney wrote.
Sherman originally faced several misdemeanor charges, including driving under the influence, reckless endangerment of roadway workers, second-degree criminal trespass, resisting arrest and third-degree malicious mischief.
Sherman had been belligerent, drinking heavily and had spoken of killing himself when he left his home in Maple Valley the night of July 13, according to police reports. His wife, Ashley Sherman, called 911 to try to have police stop him. He crashed in a construction zone along Highway 520 and then went to his in-laws’ home in Redmond.
Sherman, 33, became a Seattle sports legend during seven seasons with Seahawks. The cornerback was a star in their run to a 2014 Super Bowl victory, making a game-saving play to deflect a pass in the NFC championship game against the 49ers.
He is also the founder of the Blanket Coverage Foundation, a charity that provides low-income students with school supplies and clothes.
Browns place franchise tag on tight end David Njoku
Cleveland — The Cleveland Browns have placed a franchise tag for next season on tight end David Njoku, preventing him from hitting the free agent market.
Njoku was one of the few bright spots last season for the Browns, who went 8-9 and missed the playoffs amid massive expectations. The 25-year-old caught 35 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns in 2021.
The Browns believe Njoku, a first-round draft pick in 2017 from Miami, can produce even more and have spoken to his agent about a long-term contract.
It’s a dramatic turnaround for Njoku, who previously asked to be traded before emerging as one of the team’s most dependable weapons. The franchise tag means Njoku will be under contract through the 2022 season for roughly $11 million.
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Njoku has 148 career receptions for 1,754 yards and 15 TDs in five seasons with the Browns. His 71-yard touchdown catch against the Los Angeles Chargers last season was the longest in the NFL by a tight end.
Cleveland also tendered contracts to exclusive rights free agent wide receiver Ja’Marcus Bradley and offensive linemen Blake Hance and Michael Dunn.
