Outside of a few very public mistakes, New York Jets star defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson doesn't think he needs to change much about his life.
"Other than doing a bad mistake on one night? No, not really," he told The New York Post. "Other than that, that's the only thing I'd change. I'm pretty quiet off the field, honestly. I keep to myself, stay in my room, really. Play video games. I'm a regular old person, except I happen to be in the NFL."
Richardson has drawn the ire of Jets fans who have staked their hopes on a monumentally overloaded defense. Instead of contributing to the playoff push, he's serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
The suspension was issued less than two weeks before Richardson's high-profile arrest in July. Richardson was arrested after police said he was driving in excess of 140 miles per hour in a sports car with no headlights turned on. A loaded weapon was found on the car's front seat and a 12-year-old child in the back, according to police.
Richardson's indifference on the subject shows he isn't worried much about his future. The Jets parted ways with pass rusher IK Enemkpali for an issue of far less consequence. They don't sound like a team prepared to ditch a budding Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
The only thing standing in his way now is another potential suspension. As Around The NFLreported at the time of his arrest, the league was looking into Richardson's actions. It is unknown whether a code of conduct penalty will be handed down or not.
"When I get the day of when I can actually return, then I can move forward," he said, via The Post. "But until then, it's going to be a cloud over my head."