When the Ravens signed Trent Richardson earlier this year, I was excited to see his potential NFL comeback. I might have laughed at some of the jokes made on Twitter, but I was genuinely excited to see what he could do.
To gain perspective into why I was excited, read AL.com's excellent profile on the running back, detailing the struggles Richardson went through when he was out of football. As the author Matt Zenitz notes, "(Richardson) was depressed, wasn't working out and was barely paying attention to football aside from watching Alabama."
Then, he got a phone call from the Ravens, informing him he'd be back in the NFL.
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"It felt like I won another national championship," he said about the chance to play again.
Fast forward to August, and less than a week into camp, his return ends with tweet that nonchalantly ends his comeback.
We have waived RB Trent Richardson and signed WR Chuck Jacobs.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 2, 2016
Just like that, it's over.
I don't know if he'll get another chance, but I really hope he does. Richardson was focused on correcting the image portrayed of him as a bust. He worked out, lost nearly 20 pounds and declared his career would end with him “Putting on a yellow jacket."
People laughed at his Hall of Fame aspirations, but it was admirable to see him confident in his abilities considering his friend called him "broken" and said Richardson's mental state was "a lot more serious than football."
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Richardson's return was mainly halted by injuries, as he was placed on Baltimore's physically unable to perform list to start camp. As Garrett Downing of the Ravens' official site noted before the back's release, "The timetable for Richardson's return is a little murkier because there has been no official update on his status."
Considering his physical health is a concern at the moment, it's hard to imagine a team signing him anytime soon. And if he fails to land with a team soon, his road back to football will only get tougher.
