Spiraling Further Into A RG3-Depression

To anyone who actually reads this blog but doesn’t want to hear me go on about Robert Griffin again, tough cookies. Let’s just call this RG3 week. 3 days after Griffin went down in a heap in the Redskins’ playoff loss to the Seahawks, I am still stuck at anger in the 7 stages of grief. Angry that something still seems slightly off in the whole examination and doctor’s clearance to play over the last few weeks despite the fact that Dr. James Andrews and Mike Shanahan finally seemed to have gotten their stories straight. Angry that the Washington Redskins, valued as the 3rd most profitable franchise in the NFL, couldn’t provide a better playing field than the barnyard slop that was played on last Sunday. And most of all, angry that I was forced to watch a 22 year old franchise quarterback drag himself through 3 quarters of a game looking like a wounded animal. I’m even a little angry at RG3, who on the one hand should be commended for his toughness and fortitude, but who also propagated the now common misplaced belief that professional athletes are essentially soldiers who would rather die out on the field of battle than be relieved of their duties. As tough and physical as football is, the men who play it should not be treated as warriors or gladiators. Yes, the risks are inherent, and those that have ever played any sport know the risks that go along with it, but at what point is enough enough? Let’s not even talk about the fact that, despite what Griffin or Shanahan or anyone else says, RG3 was injured to the point that a healthy Kirk Cousins was a better option to win on Sunday, but at what point does someone have to step in and say, “I can’t let you do this to yourself anymore for your future's sake.” I’ll never forget the court microphones being close enough to catch West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins berating a referee after star player Da’Sean Butler suffered a serious knee injury during the NCAA tournament against Duke with no call. “A senior All-American player lying on the ground with no call…it’s just sad”…or something to that effect. And that’s really what Griffin’s injury on Sunday felt like…just sad. What could be sadder than watching a world-class athlete hobble around on a wobbly knee for 3 hours, and then have that knee collapse like a Jenga tower after chasing a bad snap in the mud pit that had become FedEx Field? RG3 supposedly had a successful surgery this morning to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his right knee. His prognosis indicates that if everything goes well with his rehab, he might even be ready by the 2013 season opener…a big if though considering the severity of the injury and the fact that this is the 2nd time Griffin tore that same ACL in like 3 or 4 years. Griffin gave everything he had to this team this year…too much if you ask me.