Video: Colts' Zaire Franklin Says Anthony Richardson Should've Lied About Being Tired

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin said quarterback Anthony Richardson made a mistake by being too open with reporters about his reason for missing one snap during Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans.

"He did throw a big-ass d lineman off his back... saw him tap, I thought something was going on," Franklin said on The Trenches Show podcast (36:00 mark.) "I guess, where I'm at with it, is he said, 'I ain't gonna lie, I was tired.' Lie."

Franklin continued: "You can't say that to the media. You can't go out and tell y'all anything... it's just not the response that you could give as a leader on the team, after a situation. It's just not how you want to go about it."

Joe Flacco played one snap against the Texans after Richardson tapped his helmet, signaling a request to be removed from the game in the third quarter.

"That was a lot of running right there that I did, and I didn't think I was going to be able to do that next play, so I just told [head coach Shane Steichen] I needed a break right there," Richardson said when explaining his exit.

The Colts reportedly benched Richardson after the game in favor of Flacco ahead of Sunday's Week 9 clash with the Minnesota Vikings.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter reported that the quarterback decision was decided on Tuesday morning, two days after Sunday's loss.

Franklin said on Wednesday's podcast episode that he empathized with Richardson's instinct to make the comment after the game.

"I feel like, sometimes when you talk to the media, it's easy to get into the, 'Yeah, we didn't play good today, I got to be better, and the coach put us in a good position, and I didn't execute the game plan.' It's cool to be that," Franklin said. "In today's day and age, sometimes you want to give more candid responses, you want to give more of who you are and your personality to the fans, just so they got a better understanding, a little bit, of who you are.

"Not one of them times where nobody gives a f--k... when you lose, young boy, they don't care about your personality. It's a lot of angry people in there, and they want answers, and sometimes the truth is too strong for them, so you should lie."

Franklin went on to address comments comments from Colts center Ryan Kelly, who told reporters that Richardson's exit during the game was "not the standard he needs to play up to, and the rest of the team holds him to."

"He's young. I'm sure it's a learning moment for him, and I'll leave it at that," Kelly said.

Franklin also indicated that he believed Richardson is still adjusting to some aspects of his role with the team in his second NFL season.

"I feel like he was just trying to be honest with a group of people that didn't care about honesty at that moment," Franklin said. "They wanted an answer that was going to make them feel better about a situation, and I think he's still navigating what that face of a franchise quarterback helm actually means from a front-facing media standpoint. I think that's something that he's still trying to work through."

ESPN's Stephen Holder reported on Tuesday that a team source said the Colts were "not quitting" on the No. 4 pick of the 2023 draft following his benching.

After his rookie season was cut short by a shoulder injury, Richardson has made just 10 NFL appearances. His inexperience has shown through his struggles with passing accuracy while throwing four touchdowns to seven interceptions so far this season.

The Colts are hoping he can eventually adjust to the starting role, per Holder. For now, however, it sounds like Richardson will be watching from the sidelines as Flacco gets the start for Week 9.