Baltimore Ravens

Trent Richardson's Hall of Fame comeback derailed after he's waived by Ravens

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:30 p.m. ET

Dan Carson

Back in June, Trent Richardson made some bold claims about making a comeback that would ultimately end in his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.

And now, well, that's been put on hold, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that the on-again, off-again running back has been waived by the Baltimore Ravens.

This is a hard blow to Richardson's NFL career—a span which to date has consisted of falling forward for yardage and not really trying that hard.

Getting cut before the preseason is also a major setback to Richardson's overarching goal of retiring and entering the Hall of Fame. Back in June, the former Alabama running back told CSN Mid-Atlantic how he saw his NFL comeback ultimately playing out, all the way down to how they'd speak of him disproving his doubters.

"Putting on a yellow jacket," Richardson said, describing where he saw his career going. "People wrote him off, he came back and did some amazing things. He always had the pedigree. He just had to get back to the guy that we know."

"This is a good chance of being my last ride when it comes to proving myself in the NFL," Richardson said. "I know myself that I'm not done in the NFL; don't want to be done."

The final note probably hasn't explicitly been sung for Richardson's NFL comeback, though things are more uncertain than ever. There's a chance he gets picked up after the start of the regular season when the initial wave of injuries begins withering backfields across the league and teams are desperate for mostly intact ball carriers. But it's never good to get cut in training camp, particularly after the news of possible big-time knee trouble requiring surgery began cropping up shortly after his comeback announcement.

Good luck, Trent—in whatever you end up doing.

Dan is on Twitter. He's going to go in the Hall of Fame of small-time sports tweeters.