Anthony Richardson opens up on ‘freaky’ injury that derailed season in Colts practice return

Anthony Richardson is back. 

The Colts quarterback returned to practice on Thursday and spoke to reporters about the scary orbital fracture injury he suffered when a resistance band used during warmups for Indianapolis’ Week 6 game against the Cardinals snapped into his eye.

“Warming up, something freaky just happened with the band in the locker,” Richardson said. “… I’m here now, so not really worried about it.”

Richardson was taken to the hospital and had spent the last two months dealing with vision troubles in his eye. 

But now, Richardson said Thursday, he’s good to go. 

“There’s not really major limitations,” he said. “It’s just a little different because of the impact in my eye, but most of it’s really the same. I was still able to move around the same and do everything I needed to do. So that’s not that bad.

“… It’s improved a lot, actually. When it first happened, it was just a lot of swelling and everything. Couldn’t see much. But after two or three weeks from the surgery, everything healed up nice.”

Despite the 2023 No. 4 overall pick getting back on the field, Colts head coach Shane Steichen wouldn’t commit to Richardson playing in any of the team’s final three games. 

“He still has some vision limitations in his [right] eye,” Steichen said. “So we’re going to get him back on the practice field, get him throwing, doing some scout-team reps. It’s just something that he’s going to have to manage through the process.”

Steichen doubled down on Phillip Rivers as the Colts’ QB1 after the 44-year-old made his improbable NFL comeback last week against the Seahawks. 

“Right now, Philip’s our starting quarterback,” Steichen said

Richardson will be inactive on Monday when the Colts host the 49ers, but that didn’t stop him from expressing his desire to get back into game action.

“I need to be back on the field,” Richardson said. “I love playing football.”