Trent Richardson shed some light on how Raiders coach Jack Del Rio operates Tuesday when he relayed a conversation between the two near the end of his conference call with Bay Area writers.



Richardson, 24, was asked if it seemed strange that another 24-year-old, linebacker Chris Borland, would retire from football.

Yes, it seemed strange, Richardson said, then he talked about the mental pressures of football and the importance of having your mind right, never really touching on the issue of concussions or brain trauma.

Instead, the answer morphed into something else, as Del Rio was intent on discovering just how important football was to Richardson after three disappointing seasons.

“A lot of football players don’t realize stuff until it’s gone,” Richardson said. “I’ve been playing football my whole life . . . Coach asked me this yesterday. `Trent, how long have you been playing football? I said, `Coach I’ve been playing since six years old.’ He said, `So what would you do without football? At your age, what would you do without football?’

“It kind of hit to where, `Yeah, you’re right, coach.’ That’s something you don’t expect, that you don’t hear from everybody.”

If Richardson had given the matter minimal thought and answered with indifference, he’d probably still be looking for another team.

“