"Dumb" - Shannon Sharpe slams suspended NFL players for engaging in same crime as Calvin Ridley

On Friday, Calvin Ridley got a sense of deja vu as he and the rest of the league watched the NFL slap a suspension on five players, including four playing on the same team. While much of the public took the players' side in the dispute, Shannon Sharpe spoke up against them on Undisputed:

"Dumb. In the press release, [it says] 'Gambling policy prohibits anyone in the NFL from engaging in any form of gambling in any club, league, facility or venue, including at a practice facility.' A wise man learns from others' mistakes. A fool will learn from his own."

Will every player suspended last week ever make it back to the field?

He went on, bringing up a massively controversial suspension:

"Didn't Calvin Ridley just not get suspended last year from gambling, dumb-dumbs? 'So guess what I will do? I will go do the exact same thing [he] did and see If I can skate through it.' Do you realize that the NFL pays lots and lots and lots of money to catch dummies?"

Will Calvin Ridley play in 2023?

Former Falcons receiver at Carolina v Atlanta

With a new batch of players sidelined due to gambling, some fans are wondering about the Jaguars wide receiver's status. According to CNN, Ridley was reinstated after a one-year suspension in early March. He missed most of the 2021 season and the entirety of the 2022 season.

Heading into 2023 with the bulk of his prime still ahead at 28 years old, he'll first need to knock the rust off. The last time he played more than five games in a season was in 2020 when he played 15. Of course, that was the year of the pandemic, where fans were almost entirely absent from games.

One has to go back to 2019 to find his last substantial tape in a stadium loaded with fans. In other words, despite having a resume that reaches back to 2018, his most recent late-season appearance in a situation that resembles what 2023 will look like will be four years prior. Will Ridley be able to cope?

If any of the above quotes are used, please credit Undisputed and H/T Sportskeeda.