In some ways, it felt as if he had never left. Robert Griffin III, Washington’s former quarterback and the NFL’s 2012 offensive rookie of the year, slowly weaved his way through the corridors of FedEx Field in his first trip back since October 2020, when he played for the Baltimore Ravens.
A glimpse of him was enough to spark a swarm of fans, who broke out into chants of “R-G-THREE!”
Griffin told reporters he felt “grateful” to be back, adding: “I think there’s a reason that a lot of alumni stayed away, and we don’t have to talk about that anymore. But now it’s a fresh start.”
Griffin, the second pick in the 2012 draft, was voted to the Pro Bowl that season after throwing for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns and running for 815 yards and seven touchdowns. His play helped Washington transform from a 5-11 club the previous season to a 10-6 team that clinched the NFC East title for the first time in 13 years.
“This team changed my life,” Griffin said. “... By drafting me, they set up my family for life, and everything that happened here has made me a better person, a better player when I was playing and a better man now. So I’m really thankful and grateful.
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“The only ‘what-about-ism’ is what if I didn’t get hurt? And I know every fan will have that feeling for the rest of their lives. And honestly, I don’t blame them, because I feel the same way.”
Griffin suffered a knee sprain in a Week 14 meeting with the Ravens in 2012. He returned to finish the game and, after missing a week, was back on the field for Week 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was later reported that Griffin had not been medically cleared when he went back in the Week 14 game. Against the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs, he reinjured his knee and later underwent surgery to repair his lateral collateral ligament and medial collateral ligament.
“I wouldn’t take it back for anything,” Griffin said of his time in Washington. “Everyone asks me would I rather [have] been drafted somewhere else. No, I wouldn’t have, because I wouldn’t be here doing what I’m doing today and have this testimony this year. So [I’m] really grateful for the city.”
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Washington released Griffin in the spring of 2016. He signed a two-year deal with the Cleveland Browns later that offseason but was cut after one season.
“It wasn’t the greatest experience [playing for Washington and Cleveland],” he said. “But then I had an opportunity to go to Baltimore, and the Baltimore Ravens have an identity. I think that’s something that the Washington Commanders have missed out on for a really long time. To play like a Raven means something. What does Washington have that means something like that?”
Griffin said his time in Baltimore made him realize not all teams were like Washington and Cleveland.
“And it starts from the top down,” he said. “... So now that we have new ownership in place, and the way they go about doing their business and rebuilding teams and connecting with the community, I think it’s all going to trickle downhill. … You see the investments in the stadium already and the improvements in the game-day atmosphere. I think they understand what the city needs. And, yes, they’re fans, but they also know how to run the organization in the best way.”
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Griffin praised the work by Tim Hightower, the former Washington running back tasked with galvanizing the team’s alumni the last few years.
“This is becoming a more inclusive environment for all the players to come back and feel comfortable with being back,” Griffin said. “I know I talked to many alumni and they just didn’t feel comfortable coming back to games and supporting the team in any kind of way because of everything that had happened. … The fact that [the new owners have] been so great at kind of offering the olive branch to bring everyone back, it just kind of shows you how they’re going to embrace the community, how they’re going to embrace this team and what they know they have to do.”
One thing Griffin didn’t speak about as glowingly: the team’s name. New owners Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales have said the team will not consider going back to its controversial former name of Redskins. But they did not rule out another potential rebranding.
“I mean, you got people calling them Commies, the Commodores,” Griffin said. “But at the end of the day, if they win, no one will care about the name. All we want is a winner. The fans deserve that, and I think Josh Harris is going to give it to them.”
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