Trent Richardson's stolen national-championship ring turns up in Athens

Alabama running back Trent Richardson carries the football on his way to a touchdown against LSU during the BCS National Championship Game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Jan. 9, 2012, in New Orleans, La.

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Trent Richardson ran for 96 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown, on 20 carries to help Alabama defeat LSU 21-0 in the BCS national-championship game for the 2011 season.

But the championship ring that Richardson received for the Crimson Tide's win in that game on Jan. 9, 2012, in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome isn't with him anymore.

As Alabama prepares to play Georgia for the national title for the 2017 season on Monday night, a man from the Bulldogs' hometown says he has Richardson's championship ring from the victory over LSU.

WAGA-TV in Atlanta reported on Friday that Larry Walter of Athens, Georgia, had contacted the television station in the hope it would help him connect with Richardson if he came to town for the big game.

READ WAGA-TV'S "ATHENS MAN TRYING TO REUNITE FORMER BAMA PLAYER WITH RING"

Walter told WAGA that he'd found the ring on the street in Athens while he was working as an Uber driver. WAGA's Randy Travis reported he'd been told by Alabama football officials that Richardson's ring had been stolen.

Richardson played his first football since appearing in NFL preseason games with the Oakland Raiders in 2015 with four games for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League this season.

Richardson helped Saskatchewan win three of the four games as it secured a playoff berth. Richardson missed the final regular-season game and the playoffs because of an ankle injury.

Richardson ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in his last appearance -- a 37-12 victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Oct. 28. In his first three games, Richardson had 132 yards on 28 rushing attempts.

Richardson won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best collegiate running back and finished third in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy in 2011.

The Cleveland Browns selected Richardson with the third choice in the 2012 NFL Draft. In three seasons with the Browns and Indianapolis Colts, Richardson had 2,032 yards and 17 touchdowns on 614 rushing attempts and caught 113 passes for 912 yards and two TDs.

Saskatchewan Roughriders running back Trent Richardson carries the football against the Montreal Alouettes during a Canadian Football League game in Regina, Saskatchewan, on Oct. 27, 2017.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.

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