Colts' Anthony Richardson: Hope Nobody Took 'Fly Eagles Fly' Celebration Wrong Way

Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson expressed hope Thursday that there were no hard feelings over his viral celebration during a 27-13 preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

After Deon Jackson scored a three-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter to effectively tie the game at 7-7, Richardson commemorated it by flapping his arms up and down, mimicking Philadelphia's "Fly Eagles Fly" celebration:

With the game taking place at the Eagles' Lincoln Financial, the celebration predictably wasn't well received by the Philly faithful.

Per NFL.com's Grant Gordon, Richardson insisted after the game that he wasn't trying to stir up controversy, saying:

"Sometimes when you get into the end zone, you just freeze up and don't know what to do. So I was contemplating what I was going to do if I scored or if somebody else scored. So I ran down there and I was just flapping my arms and having fun. I hope nobody took it the wrong way. I was just balling, having fun out there, and enjoying it."

Richardson played the entire first half Thursday, going 6-of-17 passing for 78 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also rushed for 38 yards on five carries.

It was an improvement from his first preseason start against the Buffalo Bills when he threw for 67 yards, no touchdowns and one pick, and rushed for only seven yards.

The 6'4", 244-pound Richardson is undoubtedly a raw prospect, but the Colts selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft due to his immense potential.

Even though he has plenty to learn, head coach Shane Steichen has already named Richardson the Colts' starter for their Week 1 regular-season game against the rival Jacksonville Jaguars.

Due to his huge arm and impressive running ability, Richardson could prove to be one of the NFL's most exciting players as a rookie.

He showed Thursday that he isn't afraid to have some fun when his team enjoys success as well, although the 2023 campaign figures to feature plenty of growing pains for Richardson and a relatively young roster overall.