Former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III has cut a niche for himself as one of the most polarizing voices in sports in the country since his NFL career ended five years ago. Despite a promising start to his NFL career with the Washington Redskins (now Commanders), Griffin’s career did not reach the expected heights.
NFL World Blasts Robert Griffin for Washington Injury Claims
On Friday, the outspoken Griffin participated in a viral online trend pretending to sit down for a Netflix tell-all documentary about how his career was affected by a coaching decision in 2012.
Griffin wore the Redskins’ full uniform and captioned the video: “Preparing for my Netflix documentary about why they kept running me when I only had one leg against Seattle in 2012.”
After a brilliant start to his rookie career in Washington, Baltimore Ravens defensive end Haloti Ngata impacted Griffin’s knee in a Week 14 clash. The quarterback sustained a mild LCL sprain and sat out the next game against the Cleveland Browns to recover from his injury.
Griffin’s return to action against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card game caused controversy after it was revealed that Dr. James Andrews had not cleared him to return, contradicting head coach Mike Shanahan. The quarterback promptly re-injured his knee against the Seahawks and underwent surgery on his ACL and LCL, which derailed his career.
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The NFL community on X had mixed reactions to Griffin’s confession about the part that the Washington coaches played in derailing his career.
Rio Robinson, who is a YouTuber and covers the Commanders, said this about Griffin: “He’s the corniest guy who’s ever worn this uni.”
He’s the corniest guy who’s ever worn this uni https://t.co/cmNOIgIelD
— Rio Robinson (@Rio_Robinson91) July 17, 2026
Mike Hawk disputed Griffin’s version of events, accusing him of covering up the injury.
“Dude literally told teammates. Don’t say anything to the coaches about the injury but now he’s blaming them. Complete clown. Netflix lower,” Hawk wrote.
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A user named Disco, who is a Commanders fan, was not amused by Griffin’s claim and revealed his status among the fans in Washington: “REAL TALK: I think Bob Griffin has taken the crown from Albert Haynesworth as this franchise’s most “cringe” player. Griffin was once so beloved but he is such a narcissist. It’s all about him. To dress up in his 13 YEAR OLD uniform for a “flex” is corny.”
Joe Darko called out Griffin for giving out misleading information about his injury. “Didn’t this guy downplay his injury and told the coach he could still play? Why didn’t you tell them you can’t run the ball?” he asked.
Didn’t this guy downplay his injury and told the coach he could still play? Why didn’t you tell them you can’t run the ball?
— Joe Darko (@joe_darko) July 18, 2026
Another user named Tim asked the former Heisman Trophy winner to take accountability for the events leading up to the injury. “There’s a video where you told another player on the team not to tell coach you tweaked your knee early you cant blame anyone but yourself,” Tim wrote.
One fan was not amused by Griffin’s behavior, comparing him to former Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. “RG3 is everything everyone accuses Russel Wilson of being,” the account wrote on X.
In the ensuing years after his injury against the Seahawks, Griffin struggled to recapture the form that won him NFL Rookie of the Year honors and made him the first rookie quarterback to win the NFC Offensive Player of the Week Award in his debut game.
He lost his place to both Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy, and by 2015, he even trained as a safety after falling to third on the quarterback depth chart.
After leaving Washington, Griffin played bit-part roles for both the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens before becoming an ESPN analyst in 2021. He was fired by ESPN in 2024, and he subsequently joined Fox Sports.
