Robert Griffin III’s aloofness in locker room an issue

The NFL season has finally ended which means it’s time for NFL writers to do what they do best: criticize easy targets. It’s no surprise that the columns about Robert Griffin III have already started.

The Washington Post’s Jason Reid checked in with a column Monday about RG3’s personality. The crux is that the quarterback isn’t “one of the boys” and that hurts his ability to be a leader.

Here’s what Reid wrote:

(Tim) Brown said publicly what some of Washington’s coaches and players have shared with me privately: Griffin’s aloofness has been an issue in the locker room. Combine that with Griffin’s poor performance the past two seasons and a Super Bowl-sized ego that tripped him up after his magical rookie year, and it’s clear Griffin isn’t close to becoming the player the Redskins need him to be.

Reid’s writing was inspired mostly by comments Tim Brown, who was on the radio Thursday to promote his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Brown has interacted with Griffin during Heisman Trophy gatherings and shared some insight on Griffin’s character.

“But I know RGIII well enough to know that he’s a little different,” Brown said on ESPN 980 last week. “I mean, I know he is maybe not the brother that you’re gonna be hanging out in the locker room with. And from that standpoint, that’s something that he has to work on. If he’s going to be a leader, he has to be a leader of everybody in the locker room, and not just one or two guys in the locker room.”

Brown also said that Griffin has a hard time joking around with the other Heisman winners, which leads him to be an outcast. Brown suggests Griffin should loosen up in order to relate better to his teammates.

None of this should come as a surprise. Everything from Griffin’s spouse to his political leanings have been cited in painting him as an outsider. And we already know that Redskins head coach Jay Gruden has issues with Griffin off the field in addition to on the field. RG3 has a lot of work to do.