The Indianapolis Colts benching of second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson was a surprise to many around the league. And this apparently includes Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, who offered Richardson some words of encouragement following their Week 9 game.
The Vikings came away with a 21-13 victory over the Colts on Monday night, where Richardson watched Joe Flacco take over the starting role from the sidelines.
Flacco didn’t exactly perform as well as many Colts fans would have liked following the decision to bench Richardson, throwing for 179 yards and in interception with zero offensive touchdowns in the game for Indianapolis.
Despite this, it sure sounds like the Colts will be sticking with Flacco over their former No. 4 overall pick. Colts head coach Shane Steichen described the move as a long-term decision, which indicates that Flacco will at least be starting for the remainder of the season unless something drastic happens.
This obviously puts Richardson, who needs development to become the Colts quarterback of the future, in a difficult spot.
Following Monday’s game, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke with Richardson, telling him to keep his head up and that he will “play a long time in this league” if he continues to stay engaged in Indianapolis.
“Hey, do me a favor and remember something, you’re a bad dude,” O’Connell told Richardson in a video shared by NFL on X. “And you’re gonna play a long time in this league. Go to work every day. Good things will happen for you. I still believe in you. I know these guys do too. Shane (Steichen) does too. Man, this organization loves you. Go to work. All love man.”
Naturally, fans took to social media to praise O’Connell for taking the time to share this advice with a player who doesn’t even play for this team.
“Great coach man,” one fan wrote on X.
“How can anyone hate KOC? This is why his team plays hard for him,” another wrote. “Hoping for the best for him and the Vikes!”
“Wow I just became a huge Kevin O’Connell fan,” wrote a Colts fan.
Some Colts fans perhaps that Shane Steichen would more openly share this kind of advice with his young quarterback. But if Kevin O’Connell is correct, there may be hope for Richardson to return to playing for Indianapolis at some point in the future.
[NFL on X]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.