Five years after former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III announced, then scrapped, a tell-all book about his time with an inherently dysfunctional franchise, Griffin is apparently ready to tell his story. Or at least part of it.
Griffin, while wearing a full uniform of the franchise he played for in 2012 (including a jersey with the abandoned name and a helmet with the expunged logo), moves his 2012 NFL offensive rookie of the year trophy from a chair and then sits down. A graphic on the screen says, “Preparing for my Netflix Documentary about why they kept running me when I only had one leg against Seattle in 2012.”
He’s referring to the wild-card game against the Seahawks, during which his heavily-braced right leg gave out.
Griffin originally injured his knee in Week 14 against the Ravens. After missing only one game, he returned for the final two weeks of the regular season and the playoff game against the Seahawks.
His career wasn’t the same after that. He started 13 games in 2013 and seven in 2014. By 2015, the team had put him in bubble wrap to avoid his injury-guaranteed fifth-year option for 2016, playing Kirk Cousins instead. Griffin then spent one year with the Browns and three with the Ravens before his NFL career ended.
It’s unclear whether the documentary will cover other aspects of Griffin’s time in Washington. His book would have apparently touched on a variety of topics, including (as he said in 2021) “my experience with sexual harassment in Washington,” adding in a video announcing the book: “I’m gonna open your eyes to the sexual harassment that permeated the walls of that building.”
Griffin later had “second thoughts” about the book project. His agent denied that the decision was influenced by any direct or indirect pressure from the team, the league, or Griffin’s employer at the time, ESPN.
UPDATE 9:02 p.m. ET: So apparently this isn’t real. I mean, it’s real, but RGIII has decided to get on an apparently cool and hip meme to pretend you’re doing at Netflix documentary. (At times like this, I’m glad I’m old.) But it’s one thing for some random person to do it. It’s another for someone who would plausibly be the subject of a Netflix documentary to do it.
The Commanders unveiled new uniforms for the 2026 season earlier this year and they’ve now announced the schedule of what duds they’ll be wearing each week of the year.
They will open the season against the Eagles wearing their white uniforms and they’ll wear those uniforms five more times during the season. They’ll sport their burgundy jerseys for nine games, including their Week 3 home opener against the Seahawks.
For the other two games, the Commanders will sport their “Hail Raiser” alternates. That look includes black jerseys and pants along with a black helmet that includes a spear piercing the team’s “W” logo.
The games with the alternates will be a Week 11 Monday night home game against the Bengals and a Week 15 home date with the Falcons.
Ten years ago (or thereabouts), stories began to emerge about NFL quarterbacks using virtual reality to augment their training.
The talk quieted fairly quickly, apparently because teams that were using it didn’t want to publicize how well it works.
That’s what made the inclusion of an extended look at Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels using a VR headset in the new season of Quarterback on Netflix a bit surprising.
“They select the play and I’ve got seven seconds to kind of process what coverage I think they’re in and the ball snaps and you’ve got to go out there and make a quick decision,” Daniels said.
The two-plus-minute segment includes both head coach Dan Quinn and then-quarterbacks coach (now offensive coordinator) David Blough talking about the benefits of the system.
“I can say, ‘Hey, we’re expecting this play against three coverages. Can I get these three coverages brought into the system,’” Blough said. “And then he’s able to see different defenses and operate from there.”
“You might have not had that exact play at practice,” Quinn said, “but now that you do, there’s recall that goes with it.”
It also gives a quarterback a chance to see, as explained by Cognilize CEO Verena Krakau, everything in the next stadium where a team will be playing, such as the location of the play clock.
One coach who, in recent years, was fairly talkative about the VR system was former Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians. In June 2019, he expressed hope that then-starter Jameis Winston had embraced it. (Given that Winston threw 30 interceptions in his first and only season with Arians, Winston possibly didn’t.)
The next year, Arians said new starter Tom Brady was “falling in love” with the VR system Arians had brought with him from Arizona. And the 2020 season culminated in a Super Bowl win.
Basically, any team that isn’t using VR for quarterback training should be. Which further explains the general reluctance of teams that are using it to zip it.
The football world has noticed the social-media antics of 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk in recent weeks. Former 49ers quarterback and Hall of Famer Steve Young has, and he expressed concern for Aiyuk on Thursday, from the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
“I worry for him,” Young said, via Edward Lewis of the New York Post. “I feel like I want to reach out and help. This is beyond football, it feels like. . . . It just feels like we need to not make it about football right now.”
Earlier this week, former 49ers executive Ran Carthon expressed similar concern, suggesting he’d reach out to Aiyuk.
It’s possible that more than a few NFL figures have tried to advise Aiyuk, who wants to sign with the Commanders. Until he files a petition for reinstatement with the 49ers and shows up for training camp (which likely could force his release), it will be clear that he’s not listening.
To anyone.
Jayden Daniels has a social media feud with Brandon Aiyuk, who has expressed interest in playing in Washington. While the embattled 49ers wide receiver continues to talk noise, the Commanders quarterback has quietly gone back to work.
Daniels worked with his wide receivers, running backs and tight ends in Los Angeles.
Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown posted a photo of the 12 players participating in the offseason work.
Terry McLaurin was among those present.
Daniels is entering his third NFL season, coming off a sophomore season that saw him play only seven games. He was on the injury report every game except the opener.
