Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley hopes fellow NFL players can learn from his mistake and avoid breaching the NFL’s gambling policy. After the NFL found out that Ridley was betting on NFL games as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, he was suspended for the entire 2022 season.

This offseason, the NFL reinstated Ridley but also suspended several other players for breaching the league’s gambling policy. Ridley, 28, is now urging NFL players to look at how severely he was punished. “Yeah, it bugs me a little because my NFL buddies didn’t look at me and say, ‘Aw man, hell, that’s serious.’

I wish they would’ve looked at me and said, ‘Wow, they did him like that? I hope it doesn’t happen to me.’ Because that’s what I would’ve done. If I would’ve seen one of my NFL buddies get slammed like that, I would’ve been a little bit afraid and watching myself.

But you know, it is what it is, they have to learn the hard way like I did. It’s gonna be alright though,” Ridley told The Florida Times-Union.

Ridley: Some guys reached out to me

After Ridley, more players were suspended by the NFL for betting on NFL games.

But everything started with Ridley being suspended for the entire 2022 season. Since being reinstated, Ridley has been trying to make the right things. “A couple guys reached out. I just schooled them on what I know and how serious it is.

I think, even for me, once I found out I was getting investigated, I didn’t even know [how serious it was]. I was like, ‘okay, cool.’ I didn’t know how serious it was until I left that interview. It’s just schooling the guys on not to do it.

It’s not worth it at all. I really think we don’t understand how serious it is. We kind of go over it and then it’s gone. It’s a real serious offense. You don’t want to do it, mess with the integrity of the game and your job. Just stay away from it if you can,” Ridley said.