by Brett Smiley, SportsHandle
Documents obtained and reviewed by Sports Handle show Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver Calvin Ridley wagered more than the $1,500 he claimed on NFL games and placed more than the widely reported three parlay wagers involving Falcons contests during a six-day stretch in November 2021.
Ridley wagered a total of $3,900 across six separate bets on or including Falcons games. Five of the bets were parlays in which the Falcons’ moneyline was included, and one was a $1,300 in-game wager on the Falcons’ team total placed during the second half of a 21-14 victory by Atlanta on Nov. 28. All six of the wagers involving the Falcons were graded as losses.
The parlays were headlined by a $300, 11-leg bet on NFL games placed on the morning of Nov. 28. At odds of 481/1, the bet would have paid more than $144,000 if successful.
Ridley placed the bets during a period spanning Nov. 23-28, at a time when the receiver was away from the team on the non-football illness (NFI) list. He needed a break from football to focus on his mental well-being, he had written in an Oct. 31 statement.
[Also see: NFL Punishments For Watson And Ridley Aren’t Equal — And They Shouldn’t Be]
As a result of the league’s findings that he violated its gambling policy, which Ridley has acknowledged, the NFL on Monday suspended the 27-year-old former first-round pick indefinitely. The suspension runs at minimum through the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season.
The former Alabama star placed two additional $100 wagers on NFL games not involving the Falcons, winning both, for a profit of $654. According to investigative records, Ridley also placed 33 additional wagers on other sports and leagues for a total of $32,733, with a profit of $2,744.
His net loss across all wagering at the sportsbook — the Hard Rock Online Sportsbook operating in Florida at the time through the Seminole Tribe of Florida — was $1,186. Ridley established the account on Nov. 23.
Ridley’s agent, Ben Setas of SportsTrust Advisors, did not immediately respond to Sports Handle’s request Friday morning for comment on his client’s betting activities.
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