NFL player taking a break to 'focus on my mental wellbeing' [View all]

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley announced Sunday that he is taking a break from football to focus on his mental health.

"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 in a tweeted statement. "This will help me be the best version of myself now and in the future."

Ridley, 26, missed Sunday's game, in which the Falcons hosted the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons lost 19-13. He had also missed a game earlier in the month.

But Ridley had attended every practice before Sunday's game and a community event held by the team, ESPN reported. When he spoke with the media on Oct. 21, he mentioned a personal issue but declined to go into detail.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/atlanta-falcons-wide-receiver-calvin-ridley-taking-break-focus-my-n1282846
___________________________________________________________
Perhaps little Simone has had a bigger inflence than she could have foreseen....