Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley has announced that he will be stepping away from playing football to focus on his mental health.
The NFL star shared the news Sunday in a statement on Twitter, explaining that he had been facing personal struggles.
"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 well-being," Ridley said. "This will help me be the best version of myself now and in the future."
Ridley's announcement came after he skipped his second game of the season on Sunday to deal with an undisclosed personal matter. Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said he learned of Ridley's absence on Sunday morning but declined to go into details about it, according to ESPN.
"Calvin's dealing with something personal," Smith said. "And it's going to remain personal on my end. Calvin's statement speaks for him, and so when we got here today, we talked and put him inactive."
Earlier in October, Ridley briefly spoke with the media about the personal issue while commenting on why people would be interested in what's going on.
"I mean, in today's world, me personally, it shouldn't matter. You should mind your business," he said. "But in today's world, yeah, I do. To me, if I say it's personal, that means it's personal."
Since announcing his break from football, Ridley's teammates have vocalized their support and come forth with well wishes.
"Certainly wish Calvin all the best," quarterback Matt Ryan said via ESPN. "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."
Veteran receiver Tajae Sharpe also backed Ridley's decision.
"We are keeping him in our prayers, and any time one of our brothers is hurting, we're hurting as well. So we feel for Calvin and are here for him whenever he needs us and whenever he's ready to get back to playing football," Sharpe said. "But obviously his mental health is No. 1, and the safety of his family and his health.
"So whatever he needs from us, we're going to support no matter what, and we're just going to try to do our job while he's away until we can get him back."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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