The injury status of Josh Richardson is a little hazy

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and guard Josh Richardson were back at practice today with the team ahead of their game against the Detroit Pistons tomorrow night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Embiid has been recovering from a shoulder injury suffered against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 26 and Richardson is coming back from a concussion he suffered against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 1.

Sixers Nation is no stranger to weird injuries and weird injury news, and the case of Richardson is very puzzling. The 26-year-old guard was on the practice floor which is encouraging, but according to a few reports, there’s some confusion as to whether or not he’s actually cleared.

According to John Clark of NBC Sports, Richardson cleared the protocol set by whomever (team doctors, NBA doctors, etc.):

Jon Johnson of WIP provided a little more detail into Richardson’s status:

So, wait a minute.

Wh … what’s going on?

One of my many jobs that I’ve had over the years is being the assistant football coach of a pee wee football team. Only once did one of my players get a concussion, but the rule was simple: “If you’re still having headaches, you shouldn’t be playing.”

Yes, I realize that children’s brains are different from adult’s brains, and I also realize that basketball has far less chances for a second concussion. However, the condition has become very prevalent in the lexicon thanks to the frequency of concussions in the NFL. If Richardson is still having headaches on March 10, a week after the first diagnosis, that’s not good. Should he be practicing? Ehhh, maybe/maybe not.

Should he actually play an NBA game? Definitely not until he’s 100 percent symptom free. Why risk it?

These are the kinds of scenarios that a lot of us are getting a little sick and tired of.