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Troy Aikman weighs in on Calvin Ridley suspension, strikes a strong tone toward NFL
By Keith Farner
Published:
Troy Aikman saw the year-long suspension Calvin Ridley received for betting on NFL games last season, and believes the NFL took a heavy-handed approach.
Speaking with TMZ Sports, Aikman reacted to the former Alabama wide receiver being suspended for betting $1,500 on games last season. The NFL cited Ridley endangering the integrity of the sport and there is no guarantee for his NFL future.
The NFL found Ridley bet on NFL games while he was away from the team addressing mental health concerns.
“I know this, I know the league takes gambling very seriously, when players are gambling on games,” Aikman said. “And that was indicative in the suspension that he got. I think when you look at it against some of the other suspensions, I would agree that it seems like an awful lot. I think players are told, I certainly understood when I was playing. I think players understand that now. Does it seem like a bit much? It seems like a bit much in today’s climate. Primarily because there was a time when the NFL was totally against the legalization of gambling on football games, and now that’s a big part of the revenue stream for the NFL.
Aikman admitted that he wasn’t sure of the correct punishment for this kind of issue.
“On the one hand you have the league encouraging everybody to gamble, and yet here is Calvin Ridley suspended for an entire season,” Aikman said. “So I don’t have the answer to that. It seems like a lot, but having said that, the league takes it very, very seriously as they should, and I think the players understood that.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
