When Robert Griffin III released a statement on Tuesday, the news that most people took out of it was that he won’t rush his recovery from reconstructive knee surgery. But some people are also reading into Griffin’s statement a shot at the Redskins for the circumstances that led him to need reconstructive knee surgery.
Griffin said in his statement, wich he sent to Trey Wingo of ESPN, that everyone who is responsible for Griffin getting hurt understands his responsibility.
“I know where my responsibility is within the dilemma that led to me having surgery to repair my knee and all parties involved know their responsibilities as well,” Griffin wrote.
Griffin didn’t name any other parties who were responsible for his injury, but he could have been referring to Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, who left him in the Redskins’ playoff loss to the Seahawks even though Griffin’s knee was clearly bothering him. Or he could have been referring to Redskins team doctor James Andrews, the renowned surgeon who works on the Redskins’ sideline and allowed Griffin to play. Or he could have been referring to Redskins owner Daniel Snyder for the sloppy playing surface at FedEx Field that day.
A USA Today story on Griffin’s statement noted that it suggested there’s blame to go around within the Redskins, and on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption on Wednesday, longtime Washington, D.C., sports media figures Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon both said it was clear that Griffin was ripping Shanahan with his statement.
“This is a thinly veiled direct shot at his coach, Mike Shanahan,” Kornheiser said.
“It is direct, it’s bold, it’s a heavy shot and it’s deserved,” Wilbon added.
Calling it a “direct shot” at Shanahan may be an overstatement: Griffin could have actually mentioned Shanahan if he really wanted to take a “direct shot.” But if Griffin isn’t pleased with the way the Redskins handled his knee injury, he isn’t alone.
