Richardson taps out on his teammates in the Colts painful loss, and it will leave a mark. An indelible one.
He said he was tired. Had to leave the field. Catch his breath. Like he's a 65-year-old on a treadmill. Goodness, gracious. This is the future?
MY COUCH, Ind. -- He tapped out. Anthony Richardson, I mean. It happened in the third quarter after second-and-goal play at the Houston 23-yard line with 3:31 remaining in the quarter. The quarterback scrambled, as he did quite often Sunday, and after being tackled for no gain, he turned toward the Colts’ sideline and tapped on his helmet.
I need out.
Was he hurt? Again? Surely, he must have injured a body part because why else would your quarterback, nominally The Franchise, pull himself without a damned good reason? But apparently not. According to the TV broadcast, and it was confirmed after the game, he was out of breath and needed a blow.
I’ve been watching football for more than 45 years and I’ve never, EVER, seen a quarterback tap out like that without there being a very compelling, health-related reason for his exit. He quit on his team, if only for one play but one that was a key third down play in a 7-point game. This does not sent a healthy message to teammates or fans who are ride-or-die with Richardson. Even Pat McAfee took issue with the decision, writing on X, “I had never seen an NFL QB tap out while still being healthy until watching Anthony Richardson. The QB is your franchise. The message it send is loud and influential.”
Exactly.
“Tired, I ain’t going to lie,” Richardson told the media after the Colts’ devastatingly hurtful 23-20 loss to the AFC South-leading Texans. Indy is now two games behind Houston in the divisional race – such as it is – and the Texans own the tiebreaker after sweeping the Colts this season. “That was a lot of running right there and I didn’t think I was going to go that next play. I needed a break right there.”
Wow.
An elite pro athlete with unmatched athleticism can’t catch his breath and remain on the field for a huge play? What is he? A 64-year-old mensch who keeps pulling a gluteal muscle every time he goes bowling? I’m not naming names.
“He needed a breather,” Steichen said. “He’d run it three times in a row, it was third down, we were going to run it.”
Huh?
He didn’t run it three times in a row. He ran it that one time on second down. That was it.
If you’re a teammate who’s balling out and dealing with multiple injuries – like, say, Michael Pittman Jr., who’s gutting it out with a bothersome back injury – how does this resonate? What kind of message is being sent? It’s bad enough when AD Mitchell hears footsteps and shies away from contact, as he did a few times earlier this season. This, though, was worse. Again, never seen anything like it. Did I mention he’s 22 years old, the youngest quarterback in the league? And he was too tired to run that third-down play, leaving Joe Flacco to hand off to Jonathan Taylor? Seriously?
Anyway, how would Richardson know they were planning to hand the ball of on the next play? He couldn’t. He didn’t. He punked out.
That’s embarrassing and it’s unforgivable.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Musings of an Old Sportswriter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.