Calvin Ridley should be furious

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been suspended for a year for gambling, while Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson may only get six games for sexual misconduct.

Yes, Atlanta Falcons Wide receiver Calvin Ridley gets an 11-game suspension Cleveland Browns Quarterback Deshaun Watson this season.

While The NFL could overrule Judge Sue Robinson’s decision and suspend Watson for the entire season, the Dirty Birds will be without their most talented full-back throughout the campaign. Though Atlanta is likely to sever ties with his former first-round pick after he serves his year-​suspension, it may not sit well with that NFL fans on the nature and length of these major disruptions.

Though Ridley needs a full-year gambling suspension, Watson needs more than six.

Deshaun Watson suspension: Calvin Ridley is out 11 games longer than Brown’s QB

Looks. The NFL set a precedent for a player betting on games in the early 1960s with future Pro Football Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Alex Karras. Banning a player for a whole season for gambling is absolutely justified as the integrity of the game must not be compromised. Gambling must be particularly strict to discourage NFL players from participating.

However, the NFL is showing its ass by pretty much saying it’s all about making money here. Gambling may be a new and exciting source of income for the league, but women make up half of the world’s population. Everyone has a mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother, etc. That Watson only gets six games means half the NFL’s population doesn’t care.

Because of this, Roger Goodell and the league office must appeal Robinson’s decision immediately. You might not be able to get a perpetual ban or a year-long suspension for Watson, but it has to be more than half a dozen games. There may be precedent for sexual misconduct cases with no criminal evidence getting just six games, but Watson’s case is a whole different beast…

While people will complain that Ridley gets 11 more games than Watson, he’s earned that year’s ban. In the league it is expressly pointed out not to bet on the game. Ridley didn’t care, just like he doesn’t care about the Falcons, and he did it anyway. However, the 11-game gap between Ridley’s suspension and Robinson’s recommendation for Watson makes your skin crawl.

An appeal may not fit Ridley’s years of suspension but Watson will be unable to play games in October.