As a Cleveland Browns fan, there have been plenty of times where the team’s former top pick, No. 3 overall in 2012, has been the butt of my jokes.
After a star-studded career in college with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Richardson’s pro career flamed out, bouncing from team-to-team and, most recently, just getting released from the Baltimore Ravens, all but signaling the end of his pro days at just 26 years old.
Richardson, who sat down with ESPN’s E:60, just spilled a side of him that should make everyone feel bad for him, because his inability to say no to friends and family led to them spending a reported $1.6 million of his money.
Per NOLA.com:
Richardson told ESPN’s Shelley Smith how his family and friends had spent $1.6 million of his money in a 10-month span.
He said he had no idea what was going on until he scrutinized his bank account after the Raiders cut him a year ago.
There were red flag purchases he’d never made, such as 11 Netflix accounts, 8 Hulu accounts and bottle service at nightclubs, unusual because Richardson doesn’t drink.
“I finally just looked at my bank statement, and I was just like, ‘Where did this come from? Where did that come from?'” Richardson told Smith. “And my guy was sitting there telling me, ‘Man, we was telling you.’ I know he was telling me, but that’s just like telling a kid to stop running in the hall. They’re going to still do it when you turn your back or you leave. It’s just one of them moments to where I was just blinded by my heart, by loving everybody and thinking that everyone was for me. I know they love me. I know they do care. But at the time, they took advantage of it.”
That’s heartbreaking stuff for a kid who’s now unemployed and looking for some sort of steady work.
You can see the entire, 22-minute E:60 Richardson segment below, and it’s definitely worth watching to give you more of an idea of what it’s like to be a millionaire athlete who’s constantly pulled in uncomfortable directions by close friends and family.