Alabama running back Trent Richardson was given a passing review Thursday at the NFL scouting combine following an exam of his left knee that underwent arthroscopic surgery on Feb. 3, a development which noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews said, "was about as minor and routine as you can get."
Dr. Andrews, who performed the surgery, agreed with Richardson's agent, Jimmy Sexton, "that if Trent had this scope done on his knee during the season, he'd have been playing within 10-to-14 days."
Richardson had a small tear in the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus that Dr. Andrews said "needed a little snipping -- a debridement" in his left knee but the running back had "no articular cartilage damage and that's what made this so minor."
Even though Richardson could have played within two weeks of the surgery, Sexton said his running back wants to get into top physical condition to post the best possible marks when NFL teams test him in the traditional combine drills when he works out later in March.
Richardson had banged his knee in practice when Alabama was preparing for the BCS title game against LSU. When he complained the knee was still a source of minor aggravation while training in Arizona for the combine, an MRI revealed the problem that Dr. Andrews repaired.
Chris Mortensen is ESPN's senior NFL analyst.