Zaire Franklin drug tested after posting 18 tackles and forced fumble against Jacksonville
A career performance has resulted in a “random” drug test for Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin. All the veteran NFL player could do was laugh.
Sunday, Franklin posted had an impressive outing in the Colts’ opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The linebacker racked up 18 total tackles, including 10 solo stops, in a 31-21 loss. He also forced a fumble which resulted in a DeForest Buckner touchdown.
Franklin took to Twitter on Monday morning to say that he received the call for the random test. He didn’t seem too surprised.
“Drug tested this morning,” Franklin wrote, including a pair of laughing emojis. “Right on time.”
Franklin is in his sixth NFL season, spending it all in Indianapolis thus far. The former seventh-round pick out of Syracuse had one of the best games of his career to begin the 2023 campaign.
The league randomly drug tests players throughout the season. And Franklin isn’t the first to gripe about the situation following a big performance. Others have spoken out about the NFL’s policy and how it seems to always hit players coming off of strong performances.
Unfortunately for Franklin, his big outing didn’t result in a Colts victory. Indianapolis will attempt to get in the win column next week with another divisional game against the Houston Texans.
QB Anthony Richardson gives Colts a scare
Before the season started, it became quite clear that Anthony Richardson will be the face of the Colts franchise. So when the rookie quarterback was injured late in Sunday’s opener, it wasn’t exactly a promising sign.
But ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided some positive news for Indianapolis. The news came back pretty positive.
“The initial reports on Anthony Richardson [are] positive,” Schefter said. “Bone bruise. Playing on that field [is] not easy.”
Although the Colts didn’t win, Richardson put together a solid performance in his first NFL regular season start. He completed 24-of-37 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also led the team in rushing with 40 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
The former Florida standout was the No. 4 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. It didn’t take long for new head coach Shane Steichen to name Richardson the starting quarterback for Indianapolis, doing so before the start of the preseason.
Next week will be a rookie quarterback battle with Richardson facing Houston Texans new QB C.J. Stroud.