Robert Griffin III sustained a “minor” concussion last week in a preseason game against the Lions. RG3 took hit after hit from a ferocious Detroit front seven, but Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden kept sending him back onto the field.
At least one NFL head coach has questioned Gruden’s intentions.
Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report says he spoke with an NFL head coach who expressed shock over the way Gruden has been treating Griffin.
“I have never, ever, on any level, seen a head coach treat his quarterback with such a lack of respect,” the anonymous coach said.
The coach went on to explain how Washington’s offensive line was “in shambles” with starting left tackle Trent Williams sidelined and others playing poorly. Despite that, Gruden apparently felt that RG3 needed the reps.
“That Lions front, even without [Ndamukong] Suh, is pretty ferocious,” he said. “As a coach, you see your guys getting beat, and you see your quarterback especially take that first shot, every coach I know would have taken their quarterback out of the game.
“What is baffling is that I can’t think of a single head coach in the NFL who would take an injury-prone quarterback, put him behind a very shaky offensive line, in a preseason game, watch him take those kinds of hits and leave him in the game. It looks personal to me.”
That’s a pretty serious accusation, as it implies that Gruden was knowingly tossing RG3 into a dangerous situation. However, it is worth noting that even one Redskins player was baffled that his coach kept Griffin in the game.
If you check out our recap of the beating RG3 took, you’ll see that the former Baylor star played horribly and was responsible for a lot of the hits on him. Still, Gruden insists that Griffin is the team’s starting quarterback. What coach would want their starting quarterback to take those kinds of hits in the preseason, even if he felt the player needed the work? That’s a question only Gruden can answer.
