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Former Escambia running back Trent Richardson is always looking to give back to his alma mater. That made coming back to the Stop the Gun Violence Football Camp on July 18 a natural fit.
The 2009 Gators alumnus has known the camp’s sponsor, Ladarian “Squirrel” Clardy since he was a kid, as he used to put on camps with Clardy's dad, LaDaron. He knew Squirrel’s older brother Ladarius, who the camp was dedicated to as he lost his life in a drive-by shooting in July 2021.
Unfortunately, Richardson, who now lives in Hoover, Alabama, wasn’t just in town for the camp. He was also in town for the funeral of his nephew, Phillip “PJ” Sheppard, who was killed in a July 5 shooting in downtown Pensacola.
“Like I tell people, man, if you have a gun, it’s almost like having a basketball,” Richardson said. “If I have a basketball I’m going to dribble it. Like why put a gun in these kid’s hands? They’re young and now we have kids that aren’t going to experience life. PJ he’s got a son that’s one year old. He’ll never get to know his dad. ... It’s happening too much.”
Just one day before Sheppard’s funeral, Trevon Bradley, a suspect in the case, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound as U.S. Marshals and the State’s Attorney’s office investigators were attempting to serve an arrest warrant at his home.
On July 20, Pensacola Police Chief Eric Winstrom told the PNJ that Bradley appeared to inadvertently shoot Sheppard when attempting to return fire at Nicholas Safford, who shot first.
Safford was one of two arrests announced by the PPD in connection to the shooting July 8 and was charged with aggravated assault, possession of weapon by a convicted felon and firing a weapon in public. The shooting also wounded six.
Richardson, now 36, spoke to campers before leaving for Sheppard’s funeral, telling them they should be more comfortable being uncomfortable in sports or other areas, pouring what they can into their passions instead of resorting to gun violence.
“We have to get back to being competitive,” Richardson told the camp. “We got to and that’s all about living the life because if you’re all doing that, you don’t have time to be out here living that violence, you don’t have time to be out here holding a gun. You don’t have time for that.”
Whenever he speaks, Richardson’s main message is “you are your way out” and to take take advantage of every opportunity because you only get one shot at life.
It’s something Richardson knows from experience. He became a father to two daughters during high school and battled ankle injuries his first two seasons, having screws inserted in both.
Richardson remembers LaDaron Clardy helping try to keep on the right direction, reminding him he had to be around to take care of his daughters. He continued to put work outside of practice, remembering sprint after sprint he did at Escambia’s track.
Work that allowed him to becoming a consensus All-American as a high school senior year before heading to Alabama, where he became a Heisman finalist and was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the third overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. But his NFL career fizzled out after three seasons, and in a 2016 E:60 interview he revealed family and friends took advantage of him financially.
Now he’s helping his son, TJ, navigate the recruiting process after picking up an offer from Ole Miss this summer as a rising eighth grader. He’ll probably preach to his son the same thing he told campers who showed up on a sweltering Saturday morning.
Always find ways to put the work in and do the right thing because people everywhere else are trying to do the same thing.
“Y’all pay attention, y’all work your tail off, pay attention to these moments because you do not get those back and time is critical,” Richardson told campers. “Don’t think we got time, we going to be okay. You don’t have time to wait, you don’t have time to slack off, you don’t have time to go out there and do the wrong thing when you’re not around your coaches or your parents or your teachers.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Why Trent Richardson spoke at Stop the Gun Violence Football Camp
