After running back Trent Richardson missed the AFC Championship game, Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson confirmed that the team had suspended the former first-round pick for that game and one more without giving a specific reason for the ban.
Reports at the time indicated that Richardson’s ban was related to his unexplained absence from a Saturday walkthrough before the loss to the Patriots, an absence that Richardson said was due to a “serious family emergency.” Mike Wells of ESPN.com reports there may have been more to it than that.
Wells reports the team was already upset with Richardson for issues related to his weight and lack of accessibility. Per Wells, Richardson put on about 15 pounds during the season with the gain accelerating after Richardson hurt his hamstring in October and further dismayed the team the next month when they couldn’t get in touch with him until the day after running back Ahmad Bradshaw fractured his fibula in a November loss to New England.
Richardson’s rookie deal guaranteed him $3.18 million in salary for 2015, but the Colts may try to use the suspension to void that guarantee. That development wouldn’t bode well for Richardson’s continued presence in Indianapolis, although it’s unclear how things will play out on that front at this point in the offseason.
