RG3: Once Hero Turned Villain
What a big day it was in Washington! I am not talking about the loss to the Dallas Cowboys. I am purely speaking of Robert Griffin III (RG3), deciding to speak his mind on Twitter and do a radio interview about his tenure with the Redskins. He used the opportunity to finally speak out about how he felt and what he has learned from his experience.
Robert Griffin III has to be one of the most intriguing stories in Washington Redskins history. The Redskins went all in to trade up to the #2 overall NFL draft pick in the hopes that they finally acquired their franchise quarterback. Robert was on top of the world and an extremely likable guy who always had a smile on his face. Redskins fans felt like this could be the guy we have been searching for so many years. I attended the draft at FedEx Field and the excitement from fans was nothing like I have ever seen before. Chants of “RG3!” went on before and during the draft. For once, we fans felt like we were on top of the world!
Having the #2 overall NFL draft pick comes with high expectations – not only from the fans, but the media as well. Robert Griffin III was put on a pedestal higher than a king on his throne. Could he live up to these nearly impossible expectations? I attended his first game in New Orleans and will never forget the TD throw that led to the world famous “Griffining” picture. As the first half of the season was slow, Robert picked up steam and gave us fans an unbelievable season filled with excitement. There was barely any mention of, “he can’t read defenses” or “he isn’t a pocket passer.” Why is that? Simple answer: we were winning. But we all know what happens when the losing begins. Players get heavily scrutinized for poor performance and losses. Quarterbacks usually bear the brunt of it all because they are considered to be the leaders. Why does it feel like Robert was different? Why did it seem like he has been scrutinized 10 times more than any other player? Could it be that he didn’t live up to expectations? Or are people filled with a lot of hatred for someone who (I believe) is misunderstood?
Today, football is very different than it was 10 years ago. Fans didn’t have social media and players were only subject to scrutiny either from broadcasters or journalists. That made it easier for players ignore. Today’s climate is much different. We live in a technological world where just about anything we do or say lands on social media. Player-to-fan interaction has definitely made it fun, but it can also be a downfall. Social media platforms give people the opportunity to speak their minds but it also emboldens people to be hateful. If you want to see an example, go look at Robert’s timeline. You will see how people can take his positive tweets and bash him with them. Robert can’t even tie his shoes these days without someone attacking his character and personal life. It’s truly sad. I can’t tweet anything positive about Robert without the mentions getting destroyed and people calling me delusional.
On 106.7 The Fan radio station, Robert agreed to do an interview with Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier. They wanted to get clarification on Robert’s tweets. I find that interesting, because DC media were the first to tell fans to “get over him.” Yet, they are the first to try to create headlines every time he drops indirect tweets. Why? Because again, the RG3 story is a fascinating one. Remember, he didn’t ask for an interview. Grant Paulsen contacted Robert and asked him to do one. People claim they don’t care, but they are lying to themselves. They do care, more than they would like to admit. The interview went well and Robert was able to explain his own take on his tenure with the Redskins. Grant Paulsen asked some tough questions and Robert answered them. There were some answers that were obvious, but we fans needed to hear it directly from Robert. It is widely believed that Jay Gruden lied about working with Robert just to get the head coaching job because he knew how invested team owner Dan Snyder was in Robert. We knew that after his second injury, Robert was most likely done as starting quarterback of the Washington Redskins. There were answers to questions that explained some of his actions as well. But more importantly, he learned from some of his mistakes he made with the media and he acknowledged that he needs to stay healthy. What I find even more fascinating is that he was more interested in putting the negativity behind him. He specifically asked for his name to stop being dragged through the mud and he requested that people leave his family out of the issues they have with him. He specifically stated that he will defend his family any day from hatred.
What fans need to take from this interview is that players Robert’s age and younger have grown up with social media being a huge factor into today’s society. Players pay attention to the scrutiny that is given to them because they do not have the ability to completely tune it out. Social media is how we communicate and it is used on every platform. I am not making excuses for Robert but the truth is the truth. If you are a player in today’s NFL, there is no way you can drown out something as big as social media. Curiosity about how others feel about you kills the cat.
People ask me all the time why I still support Robert. Problems is, they usually ask it using profanity and attach it to him. It’s pretty simple. I believe in him. I believe that his personal life is none of my business. I believe he may not be the perfect QB that people were looking for, but I believe in his abilities in terms of what he is able to bring to the table as a quarterback. He resurrected an awful team and brought excitement to an organization that just couldn’t do anything right. All Robert wanted to do was win. Win for an organization that put the world on his shoulders. I can’t do anything but respect that. Yes, Robert did have flaws in his game. He didn’t stay healthy. He faced challenges expressing himself clearly to the media. If you put yourself in RG3’s shoes, you wouldn’t be perfect either.
It also didn’t help that Robert had a coach who didn’t believe in him or his abilities. I am going to be very bold with this statement: Mike Shanahan and Jay Gruden come from the good ol’ boys network. The difference is that Shanahan was old school while Gruden was bread into the new school. You cannot convince me that either of them had any genuine interest in Robert Griffin III because neither had experience working with his style of play. Shanahan wanted to draft Kirk Cousins the same year as Robert and Jay Gruden preferred Colt McCoy over both Robert and Kirk. It wasn’t until later that Coach Gruden grew to love and even offer excuses for Kirk Cousins. The NFL itself – from the owners to the coaches – operates within its own good ol’ boys network. Looking at today’s protests, it’s clear that the good ol’ boys network inside the NFL does not support African-American players. That is a story in and of itself. It was clear as day that after Robert’s first injury and not playing well thereafter, his days were numbered as starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins. That’s a win for the good ol’ boys.
The point of this article is that hopefully Redskins fans have found some resolve in their feelings and emotions on this weird rollercoaster ride now that Robert has finally spoken out. Will there be resolution regarding the mixed feelings of the Redskins fan base surrounding RG3? Probably not; but hopefully for a while, it can be put to rest. It won’t be put to rest forever until we find the guy who is going to bring us fans that Super Bowl championship we have been so desperately seeking for many years. But remember fans, don’t let the desperation and padded stats blind you into believing that we will be there anytime soon. Not with this coach or this quarterback. Once you can process what I have said, you will understand that the truth will set you free.
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