Ridley takes leave of absence from Falcons
It was Naomi Osaka who brought worldwide attention to athletes and the burden of being constantly in the limelight by withdrawing on May 31 from the French Open and writing on Twitter that she would be taking a break from competition. At the time, she was the No. 1 women’s tennis player in the world and a four-time Grand Slam champion who said she has “suffered long bouts of depression.”
Gymnast Simone Biles followed in late July, withdrawing from the women’s team final in the Tokyo Olympics. “Today has been really stressful,” she said at the time. “We had a workout this morning, it went OK. And then just that five-and-a-half hour wait or something, I was just like shaking, could barely nap.”
So what happened earlier Sunday, when Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley announced he has to “step away from football” indefinitely to focus on his mental health, fits within that same theme.
Ridley, 26, became the latest high-profile athlete to insist he needs a break. This is his fourth season, all with Atlanta. He had amassed 31 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns in five games.
The Falcons declared Ridley inactive Sunday morning due to a personal matter, according to nfl. com. It was the second time this month that he was inactive with that designation: he didn’t accompany the team to London for its Week 5 game against the Jets, the story said.
He expressed his intention on Twitter during the second half of Sunday’s game, nfl.com noted.
Here was his full statement, per sportingnews.com: “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. This will help me be the best version of myself now and in the future. I want to thank my teammates, the entire Atlanta Falcons organization, our great fans, my friends, and my family for all of their support during this time.”