Robert Griffin III goes viral for his ridiculous Damar Hamlin suggestion
Oct 17, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Steve Young (left), Robert Griffin III (center) and Larry Fitzgerald on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Robert Griffin III probably should have kept the tweet he sent on Monday stashed away in his drafts.
The former NFL quarterback Griffin went viral for his ridiculous suggestion about Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Griffin thinks that Hamlin should be the cover athlete of the forthcoming “Madden 24” video game.
EA Sports should make Damar Hamlin the Madden 24 Cover Athlete.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) June 5, 2023
Griffin’s reasoning is that doing so would be a way to celebrate a moment that brought the entire NFL together as well as to honor Buffalo assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington and the others who saved Hamlin’s life.
Celebrate a moment that brought us all together for once regardless of what team you cheer for.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) June 5, 2023
Celebrate Denny Kellington and the professionals who saved his life with a briefing detailing all the work they did to save him and get him back on the field. It’s important for the youth to know these facts and Madden has their attention.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) June 5, 2023
That is a nice sentiment from Griffin but an idea that ultimately falls a bit short of the mark.
For Hamlin, who collapsed on the field during a Bills-Bengals game in January after suffering cardiac arrest, his story is definitely inspirational all around. Kellington and the other Bills team professionals acted quickly and skillfully to save Hamlin’s life, and now Hamlin is taking some major steps in his bid to resume his football career.
But the Madden cover is usually reserved for the best of the best in the sport (athletes like Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson). Hamlin is a player who has only made 13 total starts over his NFL career and still has a very long way to go in terms of making an elite impact on the field (though he did finish third on the Bills with 91 combined tackles last season).
Both Hamlin and the medical professionals who attended to him rightfully deserve to be honored. There is probably a far better way of doing so though than by making Hamlin the cover athlete of the next “Madden” video game.