NO SURE JET
Richardson has much to prove in redemption year
SHELDON Richardson knows what you think of him and he insists that he doesn’t care. But he does. Richardson has an ambitious two-fold goal for the 2017 season, and it involves changing narratives. First, the Jets’ fifthyear defensive lineman — whose career has been defined more by some ill-advised offfield incidents — wants to change the narrative to his career and turn the conversation back to football instead of his knucklehead mistakes. How can he do that? “I’ve got to do something amazing,’’ Richardson told The Post after practice Sunday. “I don’t know what, but I’ve got to do something amazing to change people’s mind about me. Winning always seems to change people’s mind about your wrongdoings or shortcomings.’’ Which brings us to Richardson’s second goal: Changing the narrative to a Jets season that the football world is predicting to be historically bad. “I’m not thinking about individual accolades; I’m concerned about winning and changing the culture around here,’’ Richardson said. “I’m on that ship 100 percent, man.’’
That’s a lot on his plate for a player who has spent portions of the last two seasons missing games due to NFL suspensions for his off-the-field transgressions, the worst of which a 2015 arrest for driving a 2014 Bentley Silver Spur at 143 mph with a 12-year-old relative in the car, a loaded semiautomatic handgun under a floor mat and the detection of marijuana odor wafting in the vehicle when police stopped him.
He also was benched for a game last season for being perpetually late for team meetings.
“Truth be told, I’ve seen a few Hall of Famers with a rap sheet, so I ain’t really worried about what people say about me,’’ Richardson said. “When I got in trouble … it weighed on my heart because of my name and I embarrassed myself and my family a little bit. But it was a learning process, a learning experience from kid mistakes, having too much fun and that was that.
“I’ve grown from it. People want to talk about it. We’re talking about it now. People try to treat me like I’m a common criminal. But I’m carefree, man.’’
Jets coach Todd Bowles said Sunday he’s noticed this about Richardson: “He’s in a good place … a peaceful place.
“He worked hard this offseason; he came in ready to go,’’ Bowles said. “He’s inspiring a lot of people and getting better and better. I don’t know if it’s a change. Sheldon has always been a candid guy, he’s always been endearing and a heck of a guy. I can’t put my finger on it. He’s come in focused and at peace with himself.’’
Because Richardson has, indeed, always had an endearing streak to him, you want to believe he’s figured it out. He is, after all, only 26 years old and has a ton of talent, having been honored as the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2013 and as a Pro Bowler in 2014.
Yet it’s news to no one that the Jets have done everything they can — outside of holding an everything-must-go garage sale — to trade Richardson for months, but no one willing to part with much more than a dusty Barcalounger or a rusty swing set in return.
Perhaps the best news for the Jets is the fact that he’s in the final year of his contract, which is paying him $8 million. That makes this a come-to-Jesus year for him if he hopes to land a large contract going forward.
Any more trouble off the field and/or an indifferent performance on the field this season and Richardson will enter the 2018 freeagent market as just another guy destined to be signed for less money than he’s making this year with little in the way of guarantees.
“I don’t want to go,’’ Richardson insisted. “It would be easy to go jump ship and find a place to win, take a lower paycheck and go make a team better. But honestly, I want to be a guy that’s looked as one of the main reasons the [Jets] turned around — a Ray Lewis type of name.
“I came into this league and I wanted to be great. I might have had a few shortcomings here and there, but nothing has changed about that. My enthusiasm and my passion for the game are still there. I’m carefree. Everything else will handle itself.’’