Browns RB Trent Richardson Dealing With Serious Rib Injury
Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson sat on the sidelines during the second half of Sunday’s 17-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, hampered by a lingering rib injury sustained against the Cincinnati Bengals. With only eight rushing yards on eight carries in the first half, head coach Pat Shurmur benched Richardson in favor of Montario Hardesty (who ended up with 28 yards on seven carries).
After the game, Richardson was asked about his injury and being pulled from the game.
"“I felt like I was doing better than what I heard I was doing,” Richardson said. “If you look at me, I guess I was not running hard like I used to. … It was their decision. In my head and how I feel, I feel like I’m always ready to play, no matter what.” (Source: NFL.com)"
Obviously, Richardson wanted to stay in the game no matter what, but his rib injury was rendering him ineffective on the field. He didn’t necessarily challenge Shurmur’s decision – “Pat knows what’s best,” he said – but there was obvious (and understandable) disappointment.
Nothing much should be made of this, other than an appreciation for Richardson’s competitive nature. Sometimes it takes a coach to pull a player out of a game in order to avoid a more serious injury, but even Richardson had to admit that something was wrong with him on Sunday.
The Browns still have two games to go before their bye week (at home against the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens), which means Richardson will likely get very limited practice time. The prospects of him missing a game, though, remain slim.