Calvin Ridley Takes Off: Do Falcons Have Reason to be Upset?
Calvin Ridley was inactive in a 19-13 Atlanta Falcons loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. It is the second time this season the Falcons' top wide receiver has missed a game for personal reasons.
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith addressed Ridley's absence after the game on Sunday, and at the risk of trying to read between the lines of the coach's remarks while also respecting any mental-health-related angle to this unusual story ...
Smith seemed displeased.
"I believe he put out a statement," said Smith. "I'll let Calvin speak for himself. It's a personal issue. I'm not going to go into many details."
Smith's next statement was eye-opening. Ridley didn't give the Falcons coaching staff much notice that he would be unavailable.
"When we realized he wasn't going to go this morning, we made him inactive," said Smith.
Smith wouldn't elaborate on the timing of Ridley's decision not to play, but there was, we believe, a little annoyance in his voice when he confirmed he found out about the headline news/maybe-personal crisis just a short time before kickoff.
"Things can happen to change day-to-day. "You guys were all at practice Friday," said Smith abruptly alluding to the fact that Ridley was at practice as well.
"Calvin is dealing with something personal; it's going to remain personal on on my end. Calvin's statement speaks for him. So when we got here today, we talked, we put him inactive."
Wrote Ridley in a social-media explanation: "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.''
Smith is treating Ridley's absence similar to an injury, only in this case, it's unclear if and when Ridley can be counted on to return to full strength.
"It's like any other injury," said Smith. "No different than when we got on that plane to London (the first game that Ridley missed). We've gotta find a way to win. Find a way to execute better."
"There's no excuses ... It's the NFL. There's injuries come up. Things come up. We've got to find a way."
Ridley's teammates spoke with concern about the star receiver.
"Certainly wish Calvin all the best," quarterback Matt Ryan said. "We love him and support him and he's a great friend and a great person so we all support him as he's going through this."
The Falcons dropped to 3-4 after their loss to the Panthers on Sunday. The schedule doesn't get any easier with road trips on deck to visit the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys.
Ridley's full statement released during the Falcons vs. Panthers game is above.
"This (absence),'' he wrote, "will help me be the best version of myself now and in the future."
There is, we think, room for dual emotions here. The Falcons can be both concerned about their winning ... and about Calvin Ridley's wellness.
