Trent Richardson isn't taking his departure from Indianapolis lying down. After two desultory seasons with the Colts, Richardson still sees himself as a star.
"I'll be one of the top running backs from here on out," Richardson told ESPN's Mike Wells Thursday. "They ruled Marshawn Lynch off in his third year. Look at what he's doing now. My next stop, I'll be the starter. I still have my pride and I know who I am."
One of Lynch's former teammates, Matt Hasselbeck, also once made the comparison between Richardson and Lynch. The difference: Marshawn displayed difference-making talent while he was showing a lack of maturity early in his career in Buffalo. Richardson, meanwhile, has the second worst yards-per-carry average for any running back with at least 500 carries since 1979. And he isn't taking much accountability for his troubles.
"I'm not saying anything bad about the program, but that program just didn't fit me at all. Me and the GM (Ryan Grigson) didn't see eye to eye. It was a bad marriage for us," Richardson said.
Grigson gave up a first-round pick for Richardson in one of the worst trades of the last 20 years. The team was unhappy with Richardson reportedly being late for team meetings and being overweight.
"We had made an agreement where I'd weigh 230 pounds, but it turns out that I was supposed to be 227 pounds and they didn't tell me that," Richardson said. "We've got a list of things we can use against the Colts where I can get my money back. They were fining me for failing to meet conduct code. Not making weight is not conduct code."
Richardson's agent might want to curtail his excuse-making on his way out the door. It's only going to make it harder for Richardson to get another job, much less a starting gig.
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