Trent Richardson is eager to provide a spark for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.
If he does, that could reignite a football career that has been stagnant for more than two seasons.
Richardson was a first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2012, but his NFL career flamed out after just 46 games. On Tuesday, the 27-year-old product of Pensacola, Fla., signed with the Roughriders.
“If you’ve got a gas stove and that pilot goes out, you’ve got to get down on your knees and light that pilot back up,” Richardson said during a media conference at Mosaic Stadium. “That’s what I had to do. I had to rewrite my book and I just had to start over.”
The 5-foot-9, 225-pound Richardson was a star at the University of Alabama, rushing for 3,130 yards and 35 touchdowns in 38 games. He helped the Crimson Tide win two BCS titles (2009 and 2011) and was named first-team All-SEC twice, the conference’s offensive player of the year once and a unanimous All-American once.
Cleveland picked him third overall in the 2012 NFL draft and he set a franchise rookie record with 11 rushing touchdowns.
But he didn’t live up to expectations in Cleveland or, subsequently, in Indianapolis after the Colts acquired him in the fall of 2013. Stints with the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens didn’t pan out and Richardson was out of the NFL before the 2016 season.
Two-plus seasons of relative inactivity have followed, but Richardson said the activities of his family kept him going — and motivated to get back into the game.
“I always had that itch,” he said. “It was a point to where I had the itch so bad that I had to stop watching football. I stopped watching anything that had to do with sports unless it was Alabama football. I can never not watch that.
“I watched (the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers) and I watched LeBron (James), but other than that, I didn’t watch sports. But I always had that itch when it came to being on the field.
“Even when I was injured, I’d just look at guys and be like, ‘I know I can do this. I know I can do that.’ I just can’t let it go. I’m too young right now and I’ve got too much talent to be sitting on the sideline or to be at a point to where I want to coach or where I want to say, ‘I’m done with it.’ ”
It appeared earlier this season that the Roughriders were signing Richardson, but he reportedly backed out. After getting his affairs in order, he changed his mind.
“A lot of guys (who have) been in the NFL, when they get calls from different GMs or personnel guys, it makes them want to hang tight in their position hoping that they get an opportunity,” Saskatchewan head coach-GM Chris Jones said. “He knew that he had to get back on the field and so we provided that opportunity.”
Roughriders receiver/returner Christion Jones apparently had a key role in the negotiations.
Jones played with Richardson at Alabama during the 2011 NCAA season and the men since have trained together in the off-season. After Saskatchewan’s starting tailback, Cameron Marshall, suffered a knee injury and was put on the six-game injured list, Jones called his buddy.
“Coach Jones wanted me to use my connections to reach out to (Richardson) and see what he thought about coming here,” Christion Jones said. “Some things fell in line for him to come here and we got him here.”
Richardson had barely taken the field Tuesday when Jones peeled off his No. 33 jersey and gave it to the tailback, who had worn that number in Cleveland. Richardson handed Jones the No. 26 jersey he had been given.
“He has been a respectable peer since I’ve known him,” Jones said when asked about surrendering his number. “That has been his number and that’s the number he wants, so I gave it to him.”
Chris Jones said Richardson won’t play Friday when Saskatchewan visits the Ottawa Redblacks. The Roughriders will have Richardson work on his conditioning this week before deciding when he’ll make his debut.
Marshall has resumed running, but the Roughriders don’t want to rush him back. As a result, Richardson — the only other international tailback currently with the team — could get his shot soon.
That said, Jones stressed that Richardson won’t play “until he knows all of the (pass) protections.” That’s good news for quarterback Kevin Glenn.
“As far as a running back getting the ball and running, if a guy has been doing it that long, he knows how to read a hole and go where he needs to go,” Glenn said. “A lot of the run plays are very similar.
“But as far as blocking schemes, that’s the biggest thing. You’ve got to make sure that you have a guy back there who understands the blocking schemes and what’s going on and communicating with the offensive linemen.”
Richardson spoke to former Alabama teammates who either play in Saskatchewan (like Christion Jones and Duron Carter) or are former Roughriders (such as Blake Sims and D.J. Pettway) to get a feel for the team and the area.
The newcomer still has to develop an understanding of the CFL — he admitted he doesn’t know how its rules differ from those in the NFL — but he vowed to be ready whenever he gets his chance.
“I’m ready to do what I do best and that’s play football,” Richardson said. “If the NFL opportunity comes back (as a result of this stint), it comes back. But at the end of the day, I’m just ready to play ball.”
