“I f***ed up” - Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley gets candid on battle with depression after year-long NFL suspension

The Jacksonville Jaguars will officially have Calvin Ridley for the 2023-24 season as the wideout was reinstated by the NFL this week.

On March 7, 2022, the NFL announced that Ridley would be suspended for the entire 2022-23 season due to betting on games in the previous season. Despite not being able to play, the Jaguars acquired him from the Atlanta Falcons on November 1, 2022.

Today, Ridley touched down in Jacksonville for the first time, meeting head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke.

Upon meeting with the team and officially joining them, Ridley opened up about his struggles over the past few years in a letter published by The Player's Tribune.

"I f***ed up. I’m not here to sugarcoat anything. In 2021, I made the worst mistake of my life by gambling on football.

"I paid the price, believe me. I’ve seen all the jokes. I’ve seen all the hate. And I can shoulder all of that, no problem. All I want is for people to understand that, when I made those bets, there was a hell of a lot more going on with me."

He continued:

"This is hard for a dude like me to talk about, but I want to be real with everybody. Back then, I was depressed. I was battling anxiety. I didn’t even want to leave my house. Football was the only thing that ever gave my life meaning, and I couldn’t even find any joy in that at the time. Honestly, I couldn’t even get up off the chair in my living room. Everything was just… dark."

Calvin Ridley is set to join a young, talented Jacksonville Jaguars offense

Tennessee Titans v Jacksonville Jaguars

Now that Calvin Ridley has been officially reinstated by the NFL, he will join a loaded, young, and talented Jacksonville Jaguars offense.

Last season, quarterback Trevor Lawrence took a big leap from his rookie season. He threw for over 4,100 yards and doubled his touchdown passes, throwing for 25.

Rookie running back Travis Etienne rushed for over 1,100 yards after being the backup for the first quarter of the season.

Big-ticket free-agent signings like Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram all had career seasons last year. Kirk had his first 1,000-yard season while Jones and Engram each set career highs in receptions and yards.

With the addition of Calvin Ridley, the Jags' offense has the chance to become a top-five offense next season.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Calvin Ridley, The Player's Tribune, and H/T Sportskeeda