Long road back for Bombers receiver Addison Richards

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This article was published 27/04/2016 (3438 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For Addison Richards, the chance to begin his professional football career was a dream come true.

Once the Bombers selected the high-flying receiver out of the University of Regina with the 11th pick in last May’s CFL Draft, the year that followed resembled a nightmare.

With an impressive showing in Bombers rookie camp, paired with the hype from his most recent season with the Rams where Richards set a school single-season record with 55 receptions and led the CIS with 916 receiving yards, the Regina native had the kind of start to 2015 that had many take notice. At 6-4 and 212 pounds it was hard not to see the potential.

His momentum was halted by a string of back luck, beginning with a hamstring issue that forced him to miss training camp. Rusty on his return, he struggled to catch up to the pro game. He played five games for the Bombers, recording one catch for 12 yards, before a hip injury forced doctors to pull him for good, cutting his season short and postponing any chance to prove himself.

“Football, for me, it’s always been there and it’s been my daily routine,” said Richards, 22, at the conclusion of Day 2 of Bomber mini-camp.

“You wake up, you think football and then when you’re told your season is over and it’s just five or six weeks in and this is your first chance at the pros and it’s been a dream your entire life, well, it’s very disappointing.”

Once driven on getting to the CFL, Richards now finds his motivation from the chase to stay there. The aftermath of last season is still present. He had surgery in October to repair his hip and although he’s seen great improvements in recent weeks, he wasn’t given the green light by team doctors to participate this week.

It was the kind of bad news Richards has become accustomed to, something he now sees only as motivation. In his mind, taking one step back is the chance to jump two steps forward.

“When you’re a young guy you think you’re invincible,” he said. “It’s all about being patient and not trying to get too far ahead of yourself.”

After the operation it was painful just to move. He needed crutches for six weeks.

Naturally, doubts crept in, but one thing never left his mind.

“All I’ve been thinking about for the last six months since my surgery is getting the helmet on and playing football again,” he said. “You eventually come out the other side and you want to prove all the critics wrong.”

As good as it will feel to silence his doubters, Richards’ knows his biggest test will be to convince Mike O’Shea and the rest of the coaching staff he belongs.

“I hope we see what we saw in university and even a better version of it,” said O’Shea.

“We’ve been waiting just like him but nobody’s going to feel like Addison Richards is going to feel.

“When he gets the chance to step on the field and do what he loves to do, we’ll all feel good about it.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.catwitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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