Anthony Richardson will be on the sidelines when the Indianapolis Colts visit the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9 and for the foreseeable future. Head coach Shane Steichen announced this week that Richardson had been benched in place of veteran Joe Flacco going forward. This comes after the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has struggled with his efficiency throughout the season and, most notably, took himself out of a play in Week 8's loss to Houston because he was tired.
While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Steichen relayed that Richardson taking himself out in the third quarter didn't impact the club's decision to bench him, but acknowledged that it can't happen.
"He knows he can't do that in that situation," Steichen said. "That's part of the growth and the development process that we go through. Again, I think Joe [Flacco] gives us the best chance right now going forward."
Richardson, who noted that this benching hurts, echoed Steichen's sentiment when speaking to reporters.
"Regarding that play, I know I can't do that as a leader," Richardson said, via WTHR. "Especially as the quarterback of this team. Especially just as a football player in general. I just can't bring myself out of the game like that, especially in the key moments like that. You live, and you learn. You've just got to just grow from it."
Richardson said that he was not "necessarily sure" if that decision to tap out played a role in his benching.
As for how the locker room viewed Richardson's temporarily leaving the game, center Ryan Kelly told reporters earlier this week that it's "not the standard." Meanwhile, linebacker Zaire Franklin recently expanded on it during an episode of "The Trenches" podcast, saying that Richardson shouldn't be tapping out as a leader and, even if it was due to him being tired, shouldn't be so transparent with the media about the reasoning.
"I saw him tap. I thought something was going on," Franklin said about Richardson. "I guess where I'm at with it is just ... you know, he said, 'I ain't going to lie. I was tired.' ... Just lie. Like you stole something, you hear me?"
Franklin continued: "The truth of the matter is I haven't really even had a chance to talk to Anthony about the situation. That's first and foremost. But, that being said, you can't say that to the media. You can't go out and tell ya'll anything because ... it's just not the response that you can give as a leader on the team. It's just not how you want to go about it."
Now, Richardson will develop in the shadow of Flacco until his next opportunity to hit the field arises.
