Colts Under Fire for Handling of Anthony Richardson's Injury

With the Indianapolis Colts (1-2) looking to get a winning streak going, they welcomed the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) to town for a Week 4 matchup.

On the team's second possession of the game, Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson took a hit on his right hip after a 14-yard scamper. He stayed down on the ground for a while but was able to walk to the sideline without any help. He then missed the next two plays before returning with the Colts just six yards out from scoring.

Richardson's return lasted just one play, as he took off on a run play but ended up sliding to the ground in clear pain. He left the game and made his way to the locker room with the medical team before he returned with his helmet on only to not go back in.

However, the Colts have been facing some major heat on social media for not protecting the young quarterback, who played in just four games last season before injuring his shoulder. At the forefront of the criticism is FS1 analyst Emmanuel Acho, who called out the coaches for allowing him to re-enter the game and making him run the ball.

Acho wasn't alone in criticizing the team, as fans also expressed their concerns for Richardson and displeasure with the team.

"Irresponsible, sometimes you have to protect players from themselves," wrote one fan.

"Malpractice," added another.

"Some organizations just don’t have a clue it seems. Or they don’t care. Not sure which is worse," commented another user.

After replacing Richardson for the two plays he was out, the Colts eventually turned to veteran Joe Flacco the rest of the way.

As for Richardson, his young career has been littered with injuries. A concussion prevented him from playing in the Colts' Week 3 game last season, and his season ended prematurely after spraining the AC joint in his throwing shoulder.

Coming into Sunday's game, Richardson was completing just 49% of his passes while having just three touchdowns to six interceptions. It is unclear at this time if he will miss any time.

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