ORLANDO, Fla. — Anthony Richardson is not so sure he wants to be known any longer by a nickname that was never intended to become what it has become.
Kudos to the Florida Gators quarterback and his NIL marketing representative Deiric Jackson for trying to figure out the best way for Richardson to gracefully distance himself from an “AR-15″ moniker that is now inexorably tied to the epidemic of mass shootings in our country.
“We are in discussions right now about what to do,” Jackson told me on Friday. “Anthony does not want his name to be associated with gun violence in any way.”
Easier said than done when the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle has become the weapon of choice for mass shooters at the Fourth of July parade near Chicago, the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., the music festival in Las Vegas, Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.
And the list goes on.
Not that Anthony Richardson’s nickname had anything to do with any of these shootings, but when millions of college football fans know you simply as “AR-15″ then your nickname itself becomes a constant reminder of the bloody carnage. It’s why Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson — who used to be nicknamed “AR-15″ — changed his jersey number (from 15 to 12), his Twitter handle and his nickname four years ago. He simply did not want his name associated with school shootings and the raging debate over gun control in this country.
In recent letter to the editor in Richardson’s and the University of Florida’s hometown newspaper — the Gainesville Sun — reader Sam Collins wrote:
“Why would a young man of good character and intellect choose to market himself in such an insensitive manner? But more importantly, why would his coaches and athletic department allow it? I can almost give him a pass. At his age, he is considered by many to be somewhat immature and prone to such mistakes. But his coaches and administrators at the University of Florida should know better, and coach him into more intelligent decision making.
“If his on-field decisions were as poor as this one is, he would spend most of his time on the bench. Now it’s time to bench his nickname.”
I agree that it’s time for the nickname to go and I believe UF officials agree. I have tried to refrain from using the nickname in print and on my radio show, but it’s become so synonymous with Richardson himself that sometimes I catch myself in mid-sentence as the words “AR-15″ are about to slip out.
Jackson, Richardson’s marketing rep, admits that he and Richardson have received many negative emails about the nickname, which actually was born innocently and unintentionally. It originated because his initials are A.R. and because he started wearing No. 15 as a Gainesville kid who idolized Gators legend Tim Tebow.
What complicates it for UF officials and Richardson is that “AR-15″ has grown into a lucrative brand in today’s NIL world. If you go to Richardson’s website — AnthonyRichardson15.com — his nickname “AR-15″ is at the top left corner of the site with the image of what appears to be a high-powered rifle scope in the right corner. Richardson’s “AR-15″ apparel brand also has the image of the rifle scope displayed on the sleeves of jerseys and sweatshirts.
“We are thinking about changing the clothing brand,” Jackson admits. “We don’t want Anthony’s name associated with assault rifles. In fact, Anthony has been very active in trying to get guns off of the streets in Gainesville.”
That he has. Richardson was the public face of a recent Gainesville Police Department’s gun buy-back program in which the GPD was trying to get local residents to turn in their unwanted guns so they didn’t fall into the wrong hands. Richardson even put out a video to help the cause.
He could help the cause even more if he ultimately decides to disassociate himself from a nickname that — whether intentional or not — glorifies one of America’s deadliest and most popular weapons. It’s common knowledge that the AR-15 has become America’s gun of choice mainly because it is a well-made civilian version of what the military and the police use. A common misconception is that AR stands for “Assault Rifle” but actually it stands for “ArmaLite Rifle” — named after the original company that first started making lightweight survival rifles for military use.
I have a friend who is a serious gun collector who has two AR-15s and says they are an absolute joy to shoot. He loves the AR-15′s versatility as a hunting rifle, target-shooting rifle and home-protection rifle. He is among those who believes the AR-15, as it has been described by NBCNews.com, “is a pinnacle of firearms engineering — ergonomic, accurate, reliable.”
However, my friend admits it has become the trendy and “cool” gun of choice for the young, male demographic of which many mass shooters fall into. His wife compares the AR-15 to a tight-fitting black dress. “It’s just plain sexy,” she says.
Sadly, like the rifle itself, the nickname of one of college football’s most exciting quarterbacks has become too sexy and too popular for its own good.
Here’s to hoping Anthony Richardson decides to disarm and disown AR-15.
