Falcons star receiver Calvin Ridley announced on Sunday that he is stepping away from the game of football to focus on his mental wellbeing. This announcement comes after the 26-year-old was a surprise inactive for Atlanta’s Week 8 matchup with the Carolina Panthers. His absence was officially listed as a personal matter, which marks the second time this season he has missed a game for the undisclosed personal matter. Ridley did not travel with the team to London for their Oct. 10 matchup with the New York Jets. He did, however, play against the Miami Dolphins last week before sitting out again on Sunday.
“These past few weeks have been very challenging and as much as I’d like to be on the field competing with my teammates, I need to step away from football at this time and focus on my mental wellbeing,” Ridley said in a statement. “This will help me be the best version of myself now and in the future. I want to thank my teammates, the entire Atlanta Falcons organization, our great fans, my friends, and my family for all of their support during this time.”
Ridley’s statement doesn’t give any sort of timeline as to when he may return to the field, but the tone suggests that he’ll be sidelined indefinitely.
Back on Oct. 21 (the last time he spoke to the media), he did briefly discuss the personal issue but did not get into much detail as to what he is dealing with specifically.
“I mean, in today’s world, me personally, it shouldn’t matter, you should mind your business,” Ridley said when asked about people wondering what is going on, via ESPN. “But in today’s world, yeah, I do. To me, if I say it’s personal, that means it’s personal.”
Ridley has played in five games for the Falcons this season and has caught 31 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.
