FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) - Sheldon Richardson’s Snapchat “mistake” got him disciplined by Todd Bowles.
The New York Jets defensive lineman met with his coach after a pregame video post last Saturday night that included some foul language went viral on social media.
“It went good,” Bowles said Tuesday of his chat with Richardson. “It won’t happen again.”
The coach wouldn’t say what type of discipline he handed down, saying only that it was handled internally.
Richardson also declined to say what the punishment would be or whether it could include being benched for a portion of the Jets’ game at New England on Saturday.
Bowles said the 7-second video, which was posted on safety Rontez Miles’ account and contained a few expletives, was “immature” and “a big mistake.”
Miles, who also met with Bowles, said he and Richardson were trying to send a private message to a mutual friend a few hours before the Jets’ 34-13 loss to Miami.
“Do I regret it? It getting out? That’s about it,” Richardson said. “I don’t regret saying it. I was having fun with a friend. I mean, you all have sent videos inappropriately to (your) friends, too. I just play football at the end of the day. I have fun. I sit back and relax and crack jokes and talk about stuff like that to people.
“That’s how I deal with my friendships and stuff like that. That’s just how it is.”
Bowles reiterated that he was “disappointed” and the Jets don’t condone the behavior, but added that Richardson was remorseful.
“It’s not a recurring thing,” Bowles said. “Again, we don’t condone what he did. He didn’t go out and rob a bank. He didn’t shoot anybody. He said two foul words on Snapchat. In the day of Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, anything you say in the line of business we are in is detrimental to the team. We don’t condone it. We don’t want it.
“It was a mistake on his part. He understands that. He was remorseful. We handled it internally. That’s the best I can give you.”
Richardson has had his issues in recent seasons, with an arrest last year for driving at high speeds and a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He was also suspended the season opener this year for the arrest in Missouri, and was benched with teammate Muhammad Wilkerson for a quarter earlier this season for violating team rules after being late for a meeting.
Bowles didn’t think this latest incident indicated an overall lack of maturity of Richardson’s part.
“No, this situation is completely different than the other ones,” the coach said. “The other ones were police-related. This was just immature and it was a big mistake on his part and, again, you move on. We handled it. We’ve moved on.”
Richardson declined to clarify exactly what he said on the video, despite taking criticism for what some thought was a lack of dedication to the game by the defensive star.
“It’s irrelevant,” Richardson said. “If (fans) watched the game, they know I didn’t play like that. I care about every game I play in, every down I get. Everybody knows my heart. I play hard whether we win, lose or draw.”
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