The Colts have decided to void Trent Richardson’s 2015 guarantees after suspended him for the playoffs. A good portion of Richardson’s 2015 salary was guaranteed, but now the Colts can cut him with a minimal cap hit or owing him any money. While Richardson stated that he had missed the games due to a family emergency, new information has surfaced that the Colts had actually suspended Richardson for “conduct detrimental to the team”, per CBS Sports’ Joel Corry.
I’ve confirmed that Trent Richardson’s suspension for conduct detrimental voids the guarantees of his $3,184,062 2015 base salary.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) January 27, 2015
It appears the Colts had this in mind from the time they suspended Richardson. The Colts have also been very non-committal in saying they will bring him back next season, and would have had to pay Richardson the guaranteed money even if they cut him, before the void in the guarantees occurred.
You can probably expect the NFPLA to file a grievance on Richardson’s behalf, since the timing of the suspension, in addition to the reasoning behind the suspension seem real fishy.