Richardson has new home here

New Browns defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson has one huge regret about driving 143 MPH on a Missouri freeway in July 2015.

He was caught by the police.

According to reports, Richardson refused to pull over when police were chasing him in his Bentley shortly before midnight. He pulled off on a freeway exit, turned off the car’s headlights to elude cops, ran a red light and pulled into a driveway.

Richardson’s ploy did not work. Police found two adults and a 12-yearold boy in the car with him, according to the police report. The report said a handgun registered to Richardson was in the car. It also said police detected a smell of burned marijuana.

“Do you want my honest opinion or do you want politically correct?” Richardson answered on a conference call March 14 when asked what it was like to drive so fast.

“Give me your honest opinion,” the reporter answered.

“I was having a ball — until I got arrested,” he said. “The best way I can put it is it went from sugar to (expletive) real quick.

“It’s all how you look at it, man. If you think negative, it’s negative. If you think positive, it’s positive. I just got in trouble for it, so it’s negative. People branded me that way in the media. I was in their crosshairs. Some people said I shouldn’t be in the league no more. It is what it is. I never tried to impress anybody but myself. You can’t live like that these days. They think you’re different.”

Richardson, a firstround pick by the Jets in 2013, had already been suspended the first four games of 2015 for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Though his traffic arrest occurred in July 2015, the case wasn’t resolved in court until January 2016. Richardson was suspended for the first game of the 2016 season.

The Jets did not resign Richardson after his rookie contract expired. The Seahawks signed him in 2017, but they were leery because of his past and gave him a oneyear contract. It was the same with the Vikings last year.

Richardson said being a father has forced him to grow up.

“Things back then that impressed me don’t impress me now,” he said on the conference call. “I have a daughter now so I can’t be doing 150 on the highways anymore. I have a little bit more to live for than just myself now.”

Browns general manager John Dorsey believes Richardson. That’s why he gave Richardson a threeyear deal worth $37 million instead of the oneyear commitments made by the Seahawks and Vikings.

“They wanted me,” Richardson said. “It was more than one year. That definitely was one of my big, big things. I wanted to get off of the one-year deal thing. I wanted to find a home and make myself a dominant force in one organization and not just get passed around.

“I do things here and there that might not show up on the stat sheet, but I definitely, definitely feel like I’m still one of the elite D-Linemen in the league. I just haven’t had a chance to find a home yet. I think I’ve found it here.”

Richardson, 28, has played in 89 games with 87 starts. He has 333 tackles and 23.5 career sacks.

“The foundation for a football team is the offensive and defensive line,” Dorsey said on a conference call. “You can’t have enough talented football players on your team, especially on the defensive line. Having the ability to acquire these types of players will help us be a better defense moving forward.”

In addition to Richardson, the Browns improved the defensive line by trading guard Kevin Zeitler to the Giants for defensive end Olivier Verdon.

The Browns also officially announced signing linebacker Adarius Taylor from the Buccaneers, tight end Demetrius Harris and guard Eric Kush from the Bears. All three are viewed as backup players.