Trent Richardson ripped for saying his goal is Hall of Fame. Why?

In the middle of the day Wednesday, Trent Richardson was trending on Twitter.

He'd done nothing wrong, though judging by the reaction to his comments to CSN Mid Atlantic, you would think he had.

Richardson, widely known as a first-round bust for the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts, said he wants to go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Richardson is getting a chance to revive his career with the Baltimore Ravens, says he's in great shape, and is motivated to turn around the story of his career.

“Putting on a yellow jacket,” Richardson told CSN Mid Atlantic, when asked how he saw his NFL story ending. “People wrote him off, he came back and did some amazing things. He always had the pedigree. He just had to get back to the guy that we know.”

And everyone had jokes. It seems a bit strange why anyone would care that much.

So what if Richardson has a goal of the Hall of Fame? Realistically it's unlikely he'll get there, though he wouldn't be the first player to become a legend after a slow first few years. There's no harm in shooting high, though. There was an old Vince Lombardi line in which he said, in part, "if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence." If Richardson trains with a goal of someday going to Canton and ends up just having a nice, good NFL career after a rocky start, what's wrong with that?

It's a reminder of the predictable ridiculous overreaction anytime a player guarantees a win. Are players supposed to believe they won't win? Why is it even a story when someone says they think they'll win? If every player in June wants to believe they're going to win a Super Bowl and head off to Canton, is there any harm in that?

Richardson actually does appear to have a shot to be a productive part of the Ravens, considering he has said his mindset is better than earlier in his career, he's with a good organization and he has worked hard to be physically ready for this chance. Does that mean he'll become a Hall of Famer? Likely not. But if that's what pushes him through his workouts and training camp, more power to him.