The Atlanta Falcons placed wide receiver Calvin Ridley on the non-football injury list Friday five days after the team's top receiver announced he was stepping away from football to work on his mental health.
Ridley missed Sunday's 19-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers to deal with a personal matter -- the second time this season he's done so after initially not traveling with the team to London to face the New York Jets last month for personal reasons.
During the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, Ridley released a statement that said, in part, "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."
By being placed on the non-football injury list, Ridley will miss at least the next three weeks. Ridley, whose fifth-year option was picked up by the team in May, has 31 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns this season.
On Wednesday, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said he had no timetable for Ridley's return to the club and declined to get into specifics about their communication.
"That's private information and I'm not going to disclose that," Smith said. "Just like I'm not going to disclose, players can speak for themselves, when it comes their own injuries. So, I'm not going to dive into that. I'll update you guys as soon as I know on the roster, not trying to hide anything, but I'm not going to speak for a player. You guys have to do your job and I don't fault you for that. But I'm not going to disclose their personal information."
