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ESPN Insider- Covered the NFL for 15 years
- Previously with Scout.com and FoxSports.com
- Appears on SportsCenter, NFL Insiders, NFL Live
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ESPN Staff Writer- Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the NSSA.
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Green Bay Packers safety Sean Richardson's season is over. His career may be over, too.
A source confirmed that Richardson sustained a neck injury similar to the one he had in 2012.
The backup defensive back and special-teams standout was added to the injury report Thursday, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported Friday the severity of the injury.
Although it was not clear when Richardson was injured, it's the second time in his career that he has sustained a neck injury. In 2012, Richardson sustained a herniated disk that required neck fusion surgery. Because the fusion was lower in his neck than other players who couldn't come back from similar injuries, the Packers' medical staff cleared him to return late in 2013.
Richardson is one of the few Packers players to return from neck fusion surgery. Safety Nick Collins and tight end Jermichael Finley were never cleared by the team to return and have not played in the NFL since their injuries.
A fourth-year pro, Richardson played in every game last season, mostly on special teams, and was retained when the Packers matched a one-year, $2.55 million restricted free-agent offer sheet he signed with the Oakland Raiders in the offseason.
The Packers did not immediately place Richardson on injured reserve, but they might be short-handed at safety for Sunday's game against the Rams if they don't make a roster move. With Morgan Burnett (calf) listed as questionable, the Packers currently have only three healthy safeties on the roster: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Micah Hyde and Chris Banjo.
