Courtesy of the AP
I have no issue with Robert Griffin III (RG3) giving it his all today in the playoff game against Seattle, the week prior, or December 9th 2012 when he went back into a game after a nasty collision against the Baltimore Ravens. The guy proved he has the heart of a lion and is a flat out gamer. It could be debated whether or not he helped or hurt his team today by playing. In fact there is an article HERE that discusses that point. One thing is sure, players want to play and always believe they can be the difference between losing and winning. If they don’t play they hear it from the fans and the media. Remember Jay Cutler, who received backlash for pulling himself when he was injured and not risking his career (personally I was okay with it if he was that bad and would not help the team). If you infer from a Dr. James Andrews conversation, maybe RG3 shouldn’t have been in there even a few weeks after the injury. This is where the plot thickens.
Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan was quoted as saying, after the December 9th game, that Dr. Andrews cleared RG3 to return to the game. We all took it as gospel that a well respected doctor in the sports world (who also serves as a Redskins sideline physician during home games) gave him the green light and that is why he was in. But wait a minute.
According to an article from USA today, which you can read HERE, Dr. Andrews never cleared RG3 to go back into the game after that nasty hit against Baltimore. If fact, Dr. Andrews is quoted as saying, “(Griffin) didn’t even let us look at him, he came off the field, walked through the sidelines, circled back through the players and took off back to the field. It wasn’t our opinion.” Further conversation with Dr. Andrews by Robert Klemko of USA Today revealed, “We didn’t even get to touch him or talk to him. Scared the hell out of me.”
Why would Shanahan say he talked to Dr. Andrews if it appears he never did? This could turn into a bigger “he-said, he-said” to the folks in Washington than the Presidential Election a few months ago. Did Shanahan believe he couldn’t win without RG3? Was he worried that the draft pick that he gave up the farm for would not be available in the stretch run? Actually, Dr. Andrews, when he was finally able to look at RG3 was the one who shut him down on December 9th.
Going into today’s game against Seattle Dr. Andrews was still concerned about RG3 even after he passed all the required tests. Andrews said, “I’m holding my breath because of it.” This would concern the heck out of me if I was in the front office or on the sidelines in Washington. He is your future and there is no way I play him today if it is that bad. I would start Cousins, even if 87,000 boo me. Live to fight another decade in my opinion.
Again, why would Shanahan lie about this? Would he risk his reputation? The future of the Redskins (which is his employer)? Would Dr. Andrews be “misremembering” the situation from a month ago? If RG3 was held as a pawn (trusting his leadership) and sent on the field knowing something horrible could happen than that is a foul on all involved. This just stinks. I do not mean it is bad, I mean it smells. Something isn’t right in the nation’s capital. I am sure more will come of this over the next days or weeks. It will definitely not be ignored.
About the Author: Adam Solowiei
Adam is a writer and opinionated personality with an affinity for MLB, Poker, Horse Racing and the game of golf. Adam is also Lifetime member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA). He is devoted to providing an unbiased and unfiltered analysis of the sports world.
Not sure if the coach lied, I just think RG3 wanted to carry the team as best as he could but just couldn’t be the same player he was during the season. The injury really set him back. Cousins should have played the second half.