Ridley pauses to deal with mental health

Joining other well-known athletes who have struggled with mental health issues, Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley said he’s stepping away from football after being a last-minute scratch from Sunday’s game against Carolina.

It was the second game that Ridley has missed this season for what the team would only describe as a personal matter.

But Ridley went on social media during Atlanta’s 19-13 loss to the Panthers to provide more details on what he’s going through.

“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,” Ridley wrote on his Twitter page.

He thanked the Falcons for their understanding, while giving no timetable for his possible return to the playing field.

“This will help me be the best version of myself now and in the future,” he said.

Coming off the best season of his career in 2020 and expected to claim an even bigger role in the offense after Julio Jones was traded, Ridley followed other prominent athletes such as tennis star Naomi Osaka and gold medal gymnast Simone Biles in revealing the mental-health challenges of their high-pressure professions.

Ridley also missed the Falcons’ trip to London for an Oct. 10 win over the New York Jets. The team called it a personal matter and gave no additional details.

He returned to the Falcons after a bye week and started in last week’s 30-28 win over the Dolphins.

For the season, Ridley has 31 receptions for 281 yards and two touchdowns.

Last season, the 2018 first-round draft pick out of Alabama had 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine TDs. JETS END DROUGHT >> The New York Jets’ first-quarter scoring drought is over.

After becoming the first team to go scoreless in the opening period in its first six games since the 2008 Lions, the Jets broke through on their first drive Sunday against the Bengals on Michael Carter’s 8-yard TD run. STELLAR START >> Quarterback Geno Smith connected on his first 14 passes in leading the Seahawks to a 17-0 halftime lead over the Jaguars. Smith was 14 of 15 for 137 yards in the first half.

Smith’s 14 straight completions to start a game is the longest streak in the league this season.

His only incompletion of the half came on a scramble throwaway.