More than four years after last playing in an NFL game, running back Trent Richardson returns to action on Sunday in an American professional football game.
Richardson, the third overall pick in the 2012 draft, now plays for the Birmingham Iron of the AAF. The Iron host the Memphis Express at 4:00 p.m. ET today.
After a 950-yard rookie season, Richardson found himself traded to the Colts, a move that drew plenty of complaints from Browns fans. He didn’t do much either in 2013 or 2014 with the Colts, washing out of the NFL at that point.
Offseason stints with the Raiders (who inexplicably gave him $600,000 guaranteed) and Ravens never really went anywhere, and Richardson spent one season in the CFL, gaining 259 yards for the Saskatchewan Roughriders before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
Along the way, Richardson at one point returned to Alabama to practice with the Crimson Tide, a move that sparked criticism from Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly and criticism of the criticism from Alabama coach Nick Saban.
Richardson new returns again to Alabama, and he’s the most recognizable name in the AAF, by far. Putting him on the Birmingham roster gives him a chance to return to the site of his most significant football achievements, with a final season that caused him to finish third in the Heisman Trophy voting, behind Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck.
