The Indianapolis Colts made a somewhat surprising move Tuesday announcing the suspensions of wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie and cornerback Tony Brown for conduct detrimental to the team.
In meeting with the media Wednesday for the first time since those suspensions were announced, head coach Shane Steichen didn’t offer much in the way of details.
But he did mention the standard the team is trying to build.
“I’ll start off, as you guys have seen, we’ve suspended Isaiah McKenzie and Tony Brown. I know you guys are going to have questions regarding specifics, but it’s a matter that we’re handling internally and I’ve got nothing to add on that,” Steichen said.
When asked about the difficulty of deciding to self-impose suspensions, Steichen mentioned the importance of accountability.
“Yeah, no I think there are standards around here and we’ve got to hold people accountable. That’s it,” Steichen said.
Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star reported Wednesday that both players’ lockers were cleared out.
Isaiah McKenzie and Tony Brown have had their lockers removed from the Colts locker room.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) December 20, 2023
It still isn’t clear what led to the team suspending two key special teamers, and it isn’t clear when (or if) we will find out what happened.
What is clear is that Steichen is going to run a tight ship while trying to build a winning culture, something the players seemingly have responded to during the early part of his tenure.
“I think everything is case by case. There are certain things that happen on football teams, but again, there is going to be a standard set around here and people are going to be held accountable.”
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