Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for at least the entire 2022 season for gambling on N.F.L. games last year, one of the harshest penalties of its kind in league history.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement on Monday that Ridley, 27, placed bets on N.F.L. games during a five-day period in late November 2021 when he was away from the club to focus on his mental health.
The league “uncovered no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way,” Goodell said in the statement. “Nor was there evidence suggesting any awareness by coaches, staff, teammates or other players of his betting activity.