Anthony Richardson’s first impressions in the league and with the Colts have extended beyond his athletic accomplishments from the NFL Scouting Combine.
According to the “Kevin & Query Show,” a radio show on 93.5 and 107.5 in Indianapolis, one of the hosts received a text from an Indiana Sports Corp lunch attendee that shared a story from Colts general manager Chris Ballard, who was a speaker at the event.
Richardson, during the NFL’s rookie orientation program, stayed behind to help the staff clean up the room that was “left a mess,” even as NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told the Florida Gators prospect that he didn’t need to stay.
“To which Anthony Richardson responded, “‘We left this room in an unacceptable condition, and it’s not right for us to expect the staff to clean it all up,’” the Indianapolis sports radio host, according to SB Nation’s Stampede Blue website.
Colts owner Jim Irsay also appeared to approve of Richardson’s move, as he quote-tweeted the story on Twitter with an emoji that was a flexing bicep.
It was a dinner that “all potential draftees” attended, and Vincent reportedly called Ballard following the NFL Draft to pass along the anecdote about the Colts’ new franchise quarterback and his character.
Richardson stayed “until the room was cleaned up entirely, and he was the last person working along with the workers of the shift,” according to the radio segment.
The Colts selected Richardson at No. 4 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, making a surprising pick and taking a chance on a quarterback prospect who started just one year at Florida.
But he made a 40.5-inch vertical jump at the combine, while also completing a 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump and also running the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds.
Richardson will be tasked with trying to reverse the 4-12-1 record the Colts compiled during the 2022 season, which also featured Frank Reich’s firing and the hiring of Jeff Saturday to coach the team for the final eight games on an interim basis.
Indianapolis hired former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen following the season, and Irsay revealed following the NFL Draft that Richardson will start at some point this year — getting the chance to apply his development with Steichen and the rest of the Colts staff early in his professional career.