It’s so easy to forget that professional athletes are human beings first.
Particularly with quarterbacks, who play the most important position in sports — they’re judged on their successes and failures on the field. They’re expected to be spotless off the field. If they’re drafted high and don’t pan out, they’re a bust, and that’s that.
But they’re also living life day to day, dealing with what they go through on the field, trying to make their way through an NFL career while also navigating all the ups and downs of existence.
That brings us on Sunday to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.
He’s a guy who would be viewed by most football fans as a bust. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Florida. He hasn’t panned out.
And sure, some of Richardson’s struggles may simply have been him not being good enough.
But in the last year, Richardson went through a pain that most fans didn’t know anything about.
He hurt his eye before a game last season. That was known. But how bad it was? That wasn’t common knowledge.
Anthony Richardson Eye Injury: What Happened?
Richardson was warming up before a game in 2025 and using some of the stretching bands that QBs have these days — and an accident with the stretching band and the place it was attached caused a hit to Richardson’s eye.
Turns out, it was a very dangerous eye injury.
This is what Richardson said postgame on Sunday to reporters:
“I would go to the doctor, and they would tell me they don’t know if I’m getting my vision back.”
“I would go to the doctor, and they would tell me they don’t know if I’m getting my vision back.”
Powerful comments from #Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson on his recovery from his eye injury last year.
Richardson saw his first game action of the season today vs. Jaguars. https://t.co/n3mChczx0u
— WISH-TV News (@WISHNews8) November 1, 2026
Richardson’s comments after that suggested that he has gained a level of gratitude for football, too.
“I’m just grateful that I get to go out here and throw a pass,” Richardson said. “There was a day and a time when this wasn’t promised for me. I’m grateful for it, and I’m just thankful.”
What’s Next for Anthony Richardson?
Richardson threw two passes and had two runs (including a kneel down) after taking over for the benched Daniel Jones in the fourth quarter on Sunday in a 42-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After the game, head coach Shane Steichen said everything was in consideration, including who the starting QB would be in Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys.
A return as a starter for Richardson would be a personal triumph for him after persevering through a scary eye injury.
But no matter what Richardson does next, he has proven to himself what really matters. He’s not going to take football for granted, no matter what spot he holds on the depth chart.
Colts’ Anthony Richardson Shares Terrifying Eye Injury Description