It doesn’t sound like he has a gambling problem. It sounds like he’s a fucking moron though. Especially when you factor in that it doesn’t even sound like he bet in his yearly receptions under.
It’s a nice PR plug for them but any trade they made would’ve been nullified and they would’ve looked like douchebags for making the deal anyways. On another note, I’d imagine we could get to the point where sports gambling gets similar treatment as cigarettes in being effectively banned from media advertisements. Those DraftKings commercials every third ad during a game must’ve gotten Ridley.
The Ceasars /Manning BS commercials fully sponsored by the NFL got him confused. It’s legal to bet for everyone but not for him.
Posted in every single clubhouse of every MLB team - "Any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible." the NFL only has itself to blame, they dont put the same priority on keeping the integrity of their game
Ridley Pete Rosed himself, I guess. It is a bit hypocritical of the NFL in a way though because they make so much revenue over people gambling on games even though they're outside the league or have nothing to do with football operations. It always makes me laugh when I hear commercials on the radio or see commercials on TV during the season for this app that app the other app FanDuel Draft Kings blah blah blah followed up by, "If you have a gambling problem . . . "
Ridley gets a year for betting on games. Steven Ross going to be forced to sell the team if he is paying for losses? Ridley bet 1500 and lost 11 million.. sounds like a bad bet
Players can affect the outcome of games or the scores. If they can bet, it raises the specter of thrown games, point-shaving etc. That's bad for the NFL and for the gambling sites. Players have inside information. That's bad for the gambling interests because the gambling sites sell the notion that betting is a level playing field. The irony/hypocrisy is that the NFL and its sponsors are hounding fans and the general public to bet, but the NFL is jacking up a player for doing the same thing. I understand that the NFL has to take a hard line with Ridley and other players, but the NFL no longer has the moral high ground because it's given its blessing to sports betting.
Why is a guy who earns 11m a season having a fucking bet? Never mind an illegal bet that if caught will lose him his pay cheque. Can these fuckers be any dumber if they tried?
Imo there seems to be a huge difference between sports betting and possibly affecting the outcome of games thus compromising the leagues integrity. if they’d suspended Ridley for betting on a basketball game, I’d agree with the hypocrisy take.
Look on the bright side. At least he didn't give his girlfriend a Mike Tyson knockout punch in an elevator.
i don’t see it as hypocritical at all…if the NFL wants people to bet on games to keep getting that sponsorship money, then they need the betting public to have faith that the games are not rigged. Therefore “the integrity of the game” is the biggest concern. can’t have players or refs betting on the game when they have both the ability to influence an outcome as well as inside information on the players. Ridley’s comments that he wasn’t playing in the games is asinine….yah we know, but you also have contacts and friends in the league and you therefore have inside information. The Security and Exchange Commission puts executives in jail for using inside info…this is analogous to that. just stupid, especially when yeah, he probably could’ve gotten a friend to actually place the bets in their name. moron
Excellent response. Players are fully responsible for their actions as before, but the premise of integrity and morality by the NFL is utter BS. Not too mention, beyond players, insiders across the league, at ESPN, the NFL, ex players, the whole infrastructure is also pre-vie to insider information. The NFL is massively hypocritical with this double edge sword they created when they joined the gambling sites to make more billions, damned the optical and potential impact. The NFL has no problem sleeping with the devil if it means more money.
Am I alone in wondering if it's worth the risk to throw a late pick at Atlanta & see if they'd bite? The kid is a moron, but very talented. The NFL's penalty is overkill & just trying to make an example of this kid.
Hopefully, yes you are! Ridley is a dumbass and nutcase. There's no way I'd trade anything for him, and don't want him on the team. I've never understood why others were so hot for him. He simply is not that good. He's had one good season in his career. He quit on his team last year, and then was dumb enough to bet on games. I wish he'd get a lifetime ban like MLB gave to Pete Rose.
