Getty Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons.
If there was an award for the ‘Most Supportive NFL Teammate,’ Cordarrelle Patterson would win it.
The Atlanta Falcons running back star has been advocating for Calvin Ridley’s reinstatement since the NFL suspended the team’s No. 1 wide receiver for gambling earlier this year.
Patterson, who remains on injured reserve with a knee issue, was seen repping a “Free Ridley” t-shirt on the sidelines as Atlanta took on the Carolina Panthers Sunday, October 30.
The sideline shot of @ceeflashpee84 seems to show that the #Falcons RB is wearing a “Free Calvin Ridley” shirt.
Fans can even purchase their own, made by Crayvon Moorehead, owner and designer of Good Life Apparel.
Ridley Stepped Away From Football 1 Year Ago
It was this time last fall that Ridley stepped away from football in order to take care of his “mental well-being.”
“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 well-being,” Ridley posted to Twitter on October 31, 2021. “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.”
The Falcons’ former 2018 first-round pick played in just five games in 2021, where he caught 31 passes for 281 yards (9.1 average) and 2 touchdowns.
In four NFL seasons, Ridley has recorded a total of 248 catches for 3,342 yards (13.5 average) and 28 touchdowns. His first 1,000-yard season came during the 2020 season and he would have had one in 2019, but an abdominal injury cut his season short.
Many Believe Ridley Received Too Harsh of A Punishment
After Ridley announced his break from football, things with him had stayed quiet until March.
And then on Monday, March 7, the NFL suspended the Falcons’ wideout for at least a year after an investigation found that he had been gambling on games, something the league strongly prohibits.
The investigation stated that the bets took place during a five-day period in November 2021, shortly after he walked away from football.
Many NFL fans, including Ridley himself, believed that his suspension was too harsh, in comparison to other NFL players who have been involved in domestic violence or sexual allegations and received a lesser punishment.
Dallas Cowboys star and Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman, quickly made sense of why Ridley didn’t deserve the punishment he received.
“I know the league takes gambling very seriously when players are gambling on games, and that was indicative in the suspension he [Ridley] got,” Aikman said during an interveiw with TMZ on March 11. “When you look at it against some of the other suspensions, I’d agree that it looks like an awful lot.”
Aikman continued with how the league has changed and now welcomes gambling from spectators.
“It seems like a bit much in today’s climate primarily because there was a time when the NFL was totally against the legalization of gambling on football games,” he said. “And now, that’s a big part of the revenue stream for the NFL. On the one hand, you have the league encouraging everybody to gamble, and yet, here Calvin Ridley is suspended for an entire season.”
As of now, Ridley will be eligible to apply for NFL reinstatement in 2023. But if it were up to Patterson, Aikman and several others, it would happen much sooner.