Is Calvin Ridley's year-long NFL suspension for gambling justified?
A shock went through the NFL as the Atlanta Falcons announced that wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for one year for gambling.
Calvin Ridley left the Falcons during the regular season due to mental health issues, and now it has been revealed that he was kicked out of the league for gambling.
But many are questioning if the one-year suspension is justified for Calvin Ridley? Most think it's not.
Calvin Ridley has never been in trouble before and says he doesn't have a gambling problem.
I know I was wrong But I’m getting 1 year lol
Ridley bet $1500 on a few games on the gambling website FanDuel, who contacted the NFL. The league responded by suspending Ridley.
But what upsets fans and the media is that there are players who have done far worse than Ridley.
Over the past few years, several players who haven't been suspended for a year have done worse. One of those players was Tom Brady. When the NFL discovered that Brady and the New England Patriots were involved in the Deflatgate scandal, Brady was not suspended for a year; he was suspended for four games.
The quarterback appealed against the punishment and was able to play the following year before serving his suspension the next season. Although his tampering could have affected the outcome of games, Brady never had to sit out for a year like Ridley.
Why Calvin Ridley's suspension is overkill by the NFL
Ridley didn't deserve to be suspended for a year because several NFL players have done far worse. The main issue that fans and the media seem to have is that while Ridley is being suspended for gambling, other NFL players haven't been kicked out of the league or suspended for domestic violence.
Major NFL suspensions:
Ray Rice: beating fiancé; 2 games
Adrian Peterson: felony child abuse; 6 games
Greg Hardy: beating gf; 10 games reduced to 4
Ezekiel Elliot: hitting women; 6 games
Calvin Ridley: 17 games for using FanDuel
Josh Gordon: 6 seasons for smoking weed
One of those players was Ray Rice. Rice, who once played for the Baltimore Ravens, was suspended for just two games back in 2014 for beating his wife. It wasn't until footage of the incident emerged that the NFL decided to kick Rice out of the league for good.
Another player in a similar situation was Josh Brown, who was suspended for one game.
The NFL's domestic abuse policy now is that a player can get suspended for just six games on the first offense, which is why so many people see Ridley's suspension as unfair.
Ridley might deserve a suspension for gambling; however, being suspended for a whole year is ridiculous. What would have been fairer to him is maybe missing the first month of the season or even less, for that matter.
But one thing everyone seems to agree with is that the NFL needs to change its suspension policies regarding gambling.