Trent Richardson was as surprised as the rest of us on Wednesday when he got traded from the Browns to the Colts.
“I turned on the radio and all of a sudden I heard,” Richardson told 19 News in Cleveland. “I can’t believe it, I didn’t see it coming from anywhere. I had a good relationship with everybody. But I guess it’s the best move for the Browns. At the end of the day it’s the best move for both of us, I guess. I wanted to be a Brown, I didn’t see it coming, but at the same time, I’m a Colt now, so now I’ve got to move on and get ready for Sunday’s game.”
Richardson said he assumed he would have a long career in Cleveland and that he wanted to be a big part of the Browns’ rebuilding effort. Now that he has been traded for a first-round draft pick he is a part of that rebuilding effort, but not the way he expected.
“I was really shocked,” Richardson said. “I bought my house here, I’ve been doing a lot of stuff in the community. I’m really shocked, especially for my family who have got to pick up and move. And also for my fans, I know I have a lot of fans behind me.”
Still, Richardson knows the new brass in Cleveland has to build the franchise in its own fashion, and the decision-makers who drafted him with the third overall pick in 2012 are long gone.
“It’s weird to me, but at the same time it’s a business,” Richardson. “I guess they know what they’re doing. Browns fans, please be behind them 100 percent. Don’t lose the fan base over this. Still root for them. Keep hope, because it’s going to happen. The Browns are going to be good for a while when it does happen.”
As for his new team, Richardson says he’s thrilled to be playing alongside Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.
“Me and Andrew have been good friends for a while,” Richardson said. “We were in the Heisman race together, we did stuff at the draft together. Andrew’s a good dude.”
Now Richardson will experience something he never expected: Taking handoffs from Luck in the NFL.