The Indianapolis Colts are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winning five out of their last six games with the only loss being at the hands of the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals. It has been an impressive stretch for Indianapolis, which was written off by many people ahead of the season.
Mostly anyone else that was on the bandwagon jumped off after rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson suffered a season-ending injury in Week 5 vs. the Tennessee Titans. But, his absence hasn’t slowed down the Colts, who are in the thick of the AFC playoff picture, tied for first place in the AFC South with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.
If Indianapolis is going to hold onto that spot, they are going to have to do so without two key backups. Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie and cornerback Tony Brown were both suspended for three games for conduct detrimental to the team.
NFL News & Rumors: Jonathan Taylor, Shane Steichen, Isaiah McKenzie, Tony Brown, Indianapolis Colts Updates
What the players did has not been revealed, but sources at ESPN shared that the nature of the violations rose to where lengthy suspensions were warranted. Suspensions handed out by teams are rare, so McKenzie and Brown must have done something pretty bad to miss what will be a total of four games.
Both players were healthy scratches in Week 15 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers and will now miss at least the remainder of the regular season. First-year head coach Shane Steichen did not mince words when talking about the suspensions.
“There’s gonna be a standard and people are going to be held accountable,” Steichen said via James Boyd of The Athletic.
NFL News & Rumors: Jonathan Taylor, Shane Steichen, Isaiah McKenzie, Tony Brown, Indianapolis Colts Updates
That quote means a lot for a first-time head coach who is trying to set a precedent in his new role. No one is above the rules that the team has set and if you are unable to follow them, there will be consequences to face.
McKenzie had appeared in all 13 games prior to Week 15 this season, playing a minor role offensively and on special teams. Brown played in 12 games and has been a core special teams player, playing 71 percent of the special teams snaps.
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