Pat McAfee applauds Anthony Richardson's return, says players were 'fed up'

Former Indianapolis Colts kicker Pat McAfee has been incredibly outspoken about the Anthony Richardson controversy, where the young quarterback was benched in favor of aging veteran QB Joe Flacco. Despite ripping Richardson a new one for tapping out of a play, McAfee was still firmly on Richardson's side, and slammed head coach Shane Steichen for benching him, and even publicly apologized to Richardson for being too harsh.

Now, McAfee is weighing in again, this time applauding Steichen's decision to restore Richardson to his place as QB1. But that doesn't mean he didn't have a lot to say.

"Anthony Richardson's back on the field again. Free AR5!" he began, clapping. "He's back on the field, he's learned his lesson. He's learned his lesson. The culture in that Colts facility has certainly been called into question by its own players, fans, alumni - obviously which I am going to consider myself - and people around the city. You know, when some of your best players are coming out, saying, 'Yeah, like, I don't know what the h*ll is going on in here,' Kenny Moore like, 'We don't work hard.' Quenton Nelson comes, 'Team preparation good, individual preparation not great,' it's like [shrugs]. Are you guys professionals or not? And how long has this been happening?"

Numerous members of the Colts not only publicly showed support for Richardson after the benching, but after losing to the Buffalo Bills - their third loss in a row - more players spoke openly criticized the team to the media, including team captains Kenny Moore II and Zaire Franklin. Many suspected Steichen had lost the locker room, a rumor which was given more credibility considering the stark change in the team's attitude following Richardson being named starter again. The ongoing quarterback carousel had also been mentioned by some players, which has plagued the Colts since Andrew Luck retired.

"One thing leads to another, and we got another quarterback in here, we got another quarterback in here," McAfee said, seemingly agreeing with their frustration. "The players, I think, are kind of fed up with the entire rotation of how it goes. I think a lot of people in that building don't know that your a** will be replaced very quickly. I think they almost got too comfortable. AR got an opportunity to sit back, watch, hopefully learn from a lot of people talking. Quarterbacks have to operate differently. When he's in there, he's electrifying."

He continued, "He can run for a hundo. He can throw for five hundo. He might miss a few, because he's still a rookie quarterback even though he's in his second year. He wasn't in the building much last year, which, once again, don't love. I don't think that would have happened in any building that is worth a s*** if your rookie quarterback has surgery. I think they're still going to be back in there, learning stuff. So once again, not AR's fault that he seemingly doesn't have anybody to try and teach him the ways, but hopefully, Joe Flacco has done that. And the team? Still in it."