Sean Richardson isn’t dead yet!
It was assumed — by pretty much everyone not named Sean Richardson — that Sean Richardson’s playing days were over after he underwent the second neck surgery of his professional career after a truncated 2015 season.
Richardson has been adamant that he plans on playing again and it now appears that may be a realistic possibility.
Richardson was cleared for on-field activities on Wednesday.
#Packers S Sean Richardson, who underwent cervical spinal fusion, was cleared today by Dr Robert Watkins for on-field non-contact activities
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 6, 2016
On-field activities and full contact are two entirely different things, of course. However, it appears that hurdle will also be cleared soon.
Sean Richardson is determined to play again. Dr. Watkins said his neck is healing perfectly & should be 100% in 2 months. Teams are watching
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 6, 2016
Richardson is currently a free agent, so there’s no guarantee he’ll be back with the Green Bay Packers if he is deemed fit to play again.
The Packers have erred on the side of caution with neck injuries before. They wouldn’t let Nick Collins or Jermichael Finley return after having spinal fusion surgeries of their own.
On the other hand, they did let Richardson come back after his first surgery.
Someone returning after two spinal fusion procedures is unprecedented, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.