Colts' Zaire Franklin stands by Anthony Richardson despite benching decision

Zaire Franklin is supporting his teammate.

It's probably been a tough week for Anthony Richardson, as he was benched going into Week 9, and his explanation for why he came out of the game in Week 8 against the Houston Texans. Despite all the noise that may be surrounding him, his teammates still believe in him, and one of them is Zaire Franklin.

“Oh, 100%. I still believe he’s the future of this team,” Franklin said. “I know that sounds crazy to everybody right now, but that’s something I still full-heartedly believe —that he’s the future of the Indianapolis Colts.

“I wouldn't say he lost the locker room at all. He was a young player that was making mistakes and we knew we had to grow with him. The things that he was struggling with and were trying to work on at the time, were things that we all understood, especially from a defensive side of the ball. I would never say it was a loss in confidence because we understood there was going to be highs and lows with everything.”

During The Trenches Show, Franklin noted that Richardson should've lied about why he came out of the game against the Texans.

“He did throw a big a– d lineman off his back… saw him tap, I thought something was going on,” Franklin said. “I guess, where I'm at with it, is he said, ‘I ain't gonna lie, I was tired.' Lie.

“You can't say that to the media. You can't go out and tell y'all anything… it's just not the response that you could give as a leader on the team, after a situation. It's just not how you want to go about it.”

Colts' Anthony Richardson shares thoughts about being benched

Besides what Anthony Richardson said after their Week 8 loss, he hasn't played well for the Colts this season. On the other hand, the games that Joe Flacco has played this season, the offense looks more explosive and fluid. During the week, Richardson spoke about being benched.

“Of course, it hurts,” Richardson said. “As a competitor, I definitely don't wanna be told that you're not the guy anymore for the upcoming week. But it's all good. Using the moment as an opportunity to grow and just learn from my mistakes.”

There's no doubt that Richardson will improve with time, and learning from Flacco can help his career. For now, he'll have to learn from his mistakes, watch film, and do other things that will make him better and earn the trust of his coaches.

Colts' Zaire Franklin stands by Anthony Richardson despite benching decision

Colts' Anthony Richardson shares thoughts about being benched

Related articles