Aug 13, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley (18) shown before their game against the Tennessee Titans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons
(New York, NY) – Newly reinstated Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley is detailing his experience in a piece for the Players’ Tribune. In regards to being suspended for the entire 2022 NFL season, Ridley admits “he f***ed up.” He calls gambling on football in 2021 the “worst mistake of his life.”
At the time, Ridley was dealing with injuries, and coming off a breakout 1,300, 9 touchdown season. He says the constant grind of playing through injury contributed to depression, adding he was battling anxiety as well. Ridley says he played the entire 2020 season with the Atlanta Falcons on a broken foot, all while being loaded up on painkillers.
“This is hard for a dude like me to talk about, but I want to be real with everybody. Back then, I was depressed. I was battling anxiety. I didn’t even want to leave my house. Football was the only thing that ever gave my life meaning, and I couldn’t even find any joy in that at the time. Honestly, I couldn’t even get up off the chair in my living room. Everything was just … dark.”
Ridley says he’s seen the jokes and the hate, but goes on to say he can take the heat. He simply wanted to explain what he was going through.
“I would come into the facility and I just wasn’t myself. I mean, for three years, all those guys in that locker room know how I’m coming. I’m walking in there to compete like hell. I’m trying to take people’s souls, every day. Ask Julio. Ask anybody. But all I wanted was to be at home with my wife and daughter. We were supposed to go play in London, and I just couldn’t leave them. That’s when I finally broke down and told the team that I needed help.”
In November, the Falcons traded Ridley to Jacksonville, offering him a fresh start. Ridley details in the letter how he sought out therapy and wants to do the game right going forward. He vowed that when fans mention his name 30 years from now, it will be for the right reasons.
You can read the entire article here: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/calvin-ridley-nfl-football-jacksonville-jaguars
