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Anthony Richardson’s benching goes far beyond his play: ‘A fascinating management dilemma’

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Anthony Richardson’s benching goes far beyond his play: ‘A fascinating management dilemma’

The Indianapolis Colts’ decision to replace young franchise quarterback Anthony Richardson with 39-year-old Joe Flacco offers a window into a poorly understood NFL world.

The decision makes no sense on the surface because Richardson has started only 10 games, including six this season, and the variance in his play was predictable. The organization at every level knew when drafting Richardson at No. 4 in 2023 that he would alternate between sensational plays and confounding ones while hopefully figuring out how to play the position after starting only 13 games in college.

The team has a 5-5 record in Richardson’s starts, better than the 4-6 average for the last 130 quarterbacks making their first 10 starts, per TruMedia. Richardson’s statistics through 10 games mirror those for Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen to the same point of Allen’s career.

These seemingly logical touchstones distract from the reality facing the Colts. They are not important parts of the equation Indianapolis is trying to solve.

“What a fascinating management dilemma to be in,” a former executive from one of the Colts’ division rivals said.

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Richardson taking himself out of the team’s Week 8 game against the Houston Texans and then explaining casually afterward that he was tired and needed a breather left the organization with an excruciating choice: bench Richardson, or lose even more credibility with a locker room that already knows the offense runs more efficiently with Flacco in the lineup.

Seemingly every former NFL coach and player with a platform has weighed in to express just how profoundly unbelievable it was for an NFL quarterback, as the face of the franchise, to casually take a break in the middle of a hard-fought divisional game.

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No tapping out: Colts QB Anthony Richardson has hard lesson to learn from the bench

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“I can’t even wrap my mind around the fact that you are asking out of a game,” former 12-year offensive lineman Damien Woody said in his role as an ESPN analyst.

Woody’s reaction and the many others like it reflect long-established NFL sensibilities that Richardson might only now be beginning to grasp.

“That position, rightfully or wrongfully, defines your whole team,” a former high-ranking executive with extensive NFL playing experience said. “And if he is defined as that guy that raises his hand and comes out when it gets tough, you can’t have that.”

Those unfamiliar with NFL team and locker room dynamics will point to comparisons such as the 10-start comps for Richardson and the Bills’ Allen, suggesting Indianapolis is sacrificing the future for short-term gains. They don’t see any upside in riding Flacco to what might wind up being, at best, a short-lived playoff run.

First 10 starts: Allen vs. Richardson

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QB Allen Richardson

W-L

4-6

5-5

Cmp

146

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109

Att

279

217

Cmp%

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52.3%

50.2%

Pass yds

1,776

1,535

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Yds/att

6.4

7.1

TD-INT

7-11

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7-8

Rating

64.2

68.8

Sack rate

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7.9%

6.9%

EPA/pass play

-0.07

-0.06

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Rushes

76

66

Rush yds

510

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378

Yds/rush

6.7

5.7

Rush TD

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6

5

Those on the inside see things differently. To them, the Colts decided the price for leaving Richardson in the lineup under these circumstances was higher than the price for replacing him. They chose to save the locker room now, in hopes of saving Richardson later, because they understand the tricky dynamics at work.

“If you enable him now, you lose everything,” the former high-ranking executive said, “because you sent the wrong message to your team and you sent the wrong message to him, that his behavior is acceptable. He will never recover from it.”

Can Richardson recover now?

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“It’s really hard to develop a quarterback who is so far behind in learning to play the position that he’s in frantic mode all the time,” a personnel evaluator said. “This kid is truly a project more than a developmental player.”

Those who believed that about Richardson entering the draft believe it even more now. But if there was a decent chance Richardson might develop, that could still be the case.

“Maybe I’m being naïve,” the former high-ranking executive said, “but I think it is doable, and if you do it, you’re better than ever.”

In other words, if Richardson does possess the qualities required for him to become a consistent performer and true professional at what might be the most challenging position in professional team sports, those qualities will prevail in the end. But none of that will matter if he learns early on that it’s OK to do what he did as the face of the Colts’ franchise.

“The players are the smartest ones in the building,” a coach from another team said. “They know how hard he is practicing. They know how much extra film he is watching. They know how much he cares. They know it’s weird for a quarterback to step out of a game, and they know it’s weird to say, ‘I needed to take a little break,’ and not act like anything is wrong. They know he is probably not ready to play.”

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Richardson is not the first highly drafted young quarterback to get benched early in his career, but he is probably the first to lose his job under these specific circumstances. The Colts have denied that Richardson’s opt-out against the Texans played any role in the decision to bench him, which is understandable for them to say, but not believable.

“If you cover for him, you can do more damage,” an executive from another team said. “Those players know. The fact that they saw it on TV, if you tried to cover for him, you risk dividing your team.”

And so the Colts’ quarterback adventures continue following Andrew Luck’s surprise 2019 retirement. What happened this week is the latest in a chain reaction of unplanned events:

• Luck retires, shocking the organization.

• Convinced the roster was ready to win, the Colts cycled through veteran stopgaps Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan, only to lose ground.

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• As frustration mounted, owner Jim Irsay snapped, replacing coach Frank Reich with former player Jeff Saturday before eventually hiring current coach Shane Steichen.

• General manager Chris Ballard, hired in 2017 and under increasing pressure to solve the post-Luck QB riddle, took a risky swing on Richardson despite the QB’s thin resume.

• Steichen’s job was to maximize Richardson, but in doing so last season, the quarterback kept getting hurt. Indy sought to find the right usage balance this season, but Richardson got hurt anyway, opening the door for Flacco, who shined in relief, adding to the tension.

Then came the tap-out in Houston, and here we are again, with the Colts in turmoil at the position where stability is everything, and with Richardson’s career somehow at a crossroads after only 10 starts.

It’s a rough spot to be in. Even if Richardson gains a fuller understanding of his professional obligations, he still must prove he can stay healthy and pass accurately enough to win consistently.

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“If you salvage him, you’ve nailed it,” the former high-ranking executive said. “You have brought him back from nowhere. He is better than ever then. He has seen how bad it could be and it makes him appreciate everything about being the guy.”

(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)

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‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin avenges Olympic disappointment with backflip for third straight world title

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‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin avenges Olympic disappointment with backflip for third straight world title

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It seems like Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God,” has done a nice job of moving on from his Olympic heartbreak.

Last month, the 21-year-old Team USA star was the overwhelming favorite to bring home the gold in the men’s free skate. But the unimaginable happened as he fell twice and dropped all the way to eighth place.

However, he has begun to avenge the loss and is now a three-time world champion.

 

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Ilia Malinin from the United States competes during the men free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026.  (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days of being tormented by his mistakes.

Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total of 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.

Malinin was blunt about his Olympic performance when speaking to NBC afterward, saying simply, “I blew it,” and said it was a clear mental hurdle from start to finish.

“I just had so many thoughts and memories flood right before I got into my starting pose, and almost, I think, it maybe overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences,” Malinin told reporters. 

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Gold medalist Ilia Malinin from the United States waves to spectators after the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

LINDSEY VONN KEEPING RETURN TO SKIING ON TABLE DESPITE INJURIES: ‘I DON’T LIKE TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON ANYTHING’

“So, I just feel like it’s the pressure of especially being that Olympic gold medal hopeful. It was just something I can’t control now. The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something different, and I think not a lot of people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he added. “But it really just went by so fast I did not have time to process.” 

But with some pressure off, Malinin was able to show who he truly is on the ice.

Gold medalist, Ilia Malinin from the United States waves before the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

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Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.  

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Ilia Malinin bounces back from Olympic nightmare to win third straight world figure skating title

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Ilia Malinin bounces back from Olympic nightmare to win third straight world figure skating title

Ilia Malinin is back on the top step of the podium.

Six weeks after a disastrous skate knocked the Olympic gold-medal favorite off the podium, the “quad god” reeled off one huge jump after another, and a backflip for good measure, to retain his world championship title for the third year running.

Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days tormented by his mistakes.

He praised the crowd’s support, saying: “It was really challenging, really hard but with you guys I was able to make it through.” His aim, he added, had simply been to get through the free skate “in one piece.”

Skating last after leading the short program, just as he did in Milan, Malinin landed five high-scoring quadruple jumps but not his pioneering quad axel, a jump he didn’t attempt at the Olympics.

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Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.

Ilia Malinin performs a backflip during his free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships on Saturday in Prague.

(Petr David Josek / Associated Press)

Kagiyama beat his personal-best free skate score but still had to make do with a fourth career world championship silver in a career which includes four Olympic silvers and five total worlds medals, but no gold from either event. He still embraced Malinin after his skate and they jumped together in celebration.

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In a showcase of top-level skating, there was no podium spot for France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who had been in second after the short program but dropped to fifth overall after a fall. Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko also fell dropped from third to sixth.

Malinin had no rematch with Mikhail Shaidorov, the skater from Kazakhstan who won the Olympic gold, because he opted against competing again this season.

That’s relatively common in figure skating for gold medal winners who face a rush of media and commercial opportunities after a grueling four-year Olympic buildup.

Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last competition of the championships is the free dance portion of the ice dance event later Saturday. France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron are in the lead after Friday’s rhythm dance.

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Tiger Woods released from jail after DUI arrest; eyes appear bloodshot in booking photo

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Tiger Woods released from jail after DUI arrest; eyes appear bloodshot in booking photo

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Tiger Woods was released from jail Friday night after he was arrested earlier in the day on a DUI charge following a car crash in Florida.

In a mugshot released hours after his arrest, Woods’ eyes appeared bloodshot, as he donned a blue polo inside the Martin County Jail in Florida.

Woods was seen leaving the jail in the passenger seat of a black SUV after his release on bail late Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed in a news conference that Woods was traveling at “a high rate of speed” when his vehicle collided with another car, resulting in his vehicle rolling over onto the driver’s side. 

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Tiger Woods was booked into Martin County, Florida, jail on March 27, 2026. (AP)

Authorities said Woods “exemplified signs of impairment.” He blew “triple-zeroes” for alcohol but refused a urine test.

“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Budensiek added. 

“We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”

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Woods was spotted on the phone after the crash, wearing navy blue shorts.

Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a test, all misdemeanor charges. No one was injured, authorities said. Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.

Tiger Woods was driven from the Martin County Jail after being arrested for driving under the influence following a car crash on March 27, 2026, in Stuart, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

VANESSA, KAI TRUMP TAKE IN TIGER WOODS’ RETURN TO GOLF AT TGL FINALS

“This could’ve been a lot worse,” Budensiek noted. 

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President Donald Trump commented on the arrest of his “very close friend.”

“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty.”

Woods has not commented on the arrest.

Tiger Woods was arrested on a DUI charge after getting into a car crash on Friday. (Associated Press)

Woods currently is dating Trump’s ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa, whose daughter, Kai, is set to play college golf in Miami next week.

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This is Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and being asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m. 

In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year.

Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026.  (Jason Oteri/AP)

Woods made his return to competitive golf earlier this week in the TGL championship after rupturing his Achilles just before last year’s Masters (this year’s tournament is in less than two weeks). Woods has not appeared on the links since the 2024 PGA Championship, in which he missed the cut.

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