Richardson out for year; torn ACL

Junior wide receiver Paul Richardson was injured in Monday's practice, and was latter diagnosed with a torn knee ligament that will keep him off the field for the entire 2012 season.

This is a huge loss for the Buffs nearly a week before the Colorado football spring game.

According to the CUBuffs website Richardson tore the ACL in his knee when he was "simply planting and trying to make a turn in a non-contact special teams drill."

Richardson was a dynamic threat for the offense last year. Despite missing four games with a sprained knee in 2011 he was still the third leading receiver on the Buffaloes roster, with 39 catches and a total of 555 yards.



The fluke injury hurts the Buffaloes who are very inexperienced on the offensive side of the ball. Richardson was assuming a role as a leader on the team, in the locker room and on the field.

"Obviously, it's a blow to our team, but it's a part of the game," head coach Jon Embree said. "It's an opportunity for others to step up and try to lessen his loss. I thought at first he just rolled his ankle, and it turned out to be this [torn ACL]. It's a shame because he's worked real hard and was doing a great job both on and off the field, leading by example and improving on all the things he needed to work on." (via CUBuffs.com)

Richardson will use a redshirt year and come back with two years of eligibility in 2013.

[Information and quotes from CUBuffs.com]

PGA Tough-Guy

Like a Miss Congeniality sash in the UFC or a 'Most Popular' award at Comic-Con there is no such thing as a 'toughness' award out on the golf course. This even includes the four major championships. 

 

When Rory McIlroy took on a Georgia oak tree's root with a 7-iron you knew it wasn't going to turn out well for the Northern Irishman. (Don't ask how I'm so well versed in the golfer-foliage relationship, I just am.) This was only his 3rd hole in the opening round of the PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club, and he finished the 69 remaining holes in gallant fashion.

But that's beside the point. "It was a mistake in judgement," the 22 year old said.

It was a mistake to attempt to hit the shot, and it was an even bigger mistake to try to complete the tournament.

There’s a difference between playing through a sprained ankle in the final game of the NCAA Tournament (Maurice Cleaves); there’s a difference between going for it on fourth and short in the 4^th quarter of a seemingly meaningless NFL game to send a message to your team than what Rory did on Thursday, and then into the weekend.

A DNF would be embarrassing in the kindergarten obstacle course, or a game of Scrabble with your younger sister but not after a severe injury at the PGA Championship. Nobody would be disappointed if you err on the side of caution.

McIlroy has too much going for him to be grounded by a root.