Trent Richardson Cut By Indianapolis Colts, May File Grievance With NFL
Trent Richardson, cut by the Indianapolis Colts, may end up filing a grievance to the NFL. Richardson ended up being a huge disappointment for the Colts after acquiring him from the Cleveland Browns, and now the team has taken action to avoid paying him in 2015. As reported by ESPN on March 12, the former Alabama running back saw it coming.
“I was expecting this. It just didn’t work out. I’m not saying anything bad about the program, but that program just didn’t fit me at all. Me and the GM didn’t see eye to eye. It was a bad marriage for us.”
Richardson was traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Colts at the beginning of the 2013 NFL season in a huge move by the team. The front office gave up a first-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, showing how invested the team was when it came to improving in the short-term. Most football analysts called the acquisition of Richardson a complete bust.
In 2013, Trent Richardson rushed for just 458 yards on 157 carries. He averaged only 2.9 yards per carry, ranking him as one of the worst running backs in the league (statistically). A lot of attention was paid to him during the following offseason, and it looked like he might be able to bounce back. Richardson did not, rushing for just 519 yards in 15 games and averaging just 3.3 yards per carry.
It got worse in the 2014 postseason, when the Colts stated that Richardson would be inactive for the divisional round. Having fallen behind Daniel Herron and Zurlon Tipton on the depth chart, the team didn’t want to waste a roster spot on him. When he missed a walk-through the day before the 2015 AFC Championship Game, the team handed him a two-game suspension. This is where the grievance comes into play, as it allowed the team to get out of paying his contract next year.
It would later come out that Richardson was at the hospital with his wife. She was going through serious pregnancy complications and he felt the need to be there was greater than the need to be at a football practice. The team disagreed with him and upheld the suspension. Richardson told ESPN his side of the story a bit later.
“Nothing would stop me from going to work other than my kids. With that, I told coach (Chuck Pagano) the situation. I said I could fly in or try to make the flight. He told me we weren’t going to dress you anyway.”
So now the Indianapolis Colts will try not to pay him the $3.1 million he was owed for the 2015 NFL season. Now that Trent Richardson has been cut, though, he can also pursue signing with a new franchise in free agency. Several teams need to add depth at running back, so it is likely he will find a new job this offseason.
[Image Source: Andy Lyons/Getty Images]
