Jon has stated over and over again that there was no argument. So, unless you have decided he's lying about that, then that theory doesn't hold water. But I know a lot of people have to justify what Richie does by finding a way to blame Jon. Just a few weeks ago some were insinuating that it was a diabolical plot by Jon that caused SITT to be a poor selling album.

Maybe Richie just got tired of the grind. Maybe he really did want to spend time at home. It still seems odd though that Phil was on standby long before Richie missed Circle tour dates. They knew it was coming; it was just a matter of when.