Mike Shanahan was ready to quit Redskins in 2012
By Mike Dyce
The Washington Redskins had a fairy tale season in 2012. Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III won the NFC East championship and took his team to the playoffs and all was right in D.C., or so it seemed. According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, head coach Mike Shanahan was ready to quit after the season.
"Disillusioned with the way Snyder was running the organization, Shanahan cleaned out his office in advance of January’s wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks and expected to leave the team whenever the season ended, according to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity."
At the heart of the debate was Snyder putting Griffin on a pedestal above other players. Shanahan reportedly wasn’t blaming Griffin for Snyder doing this, but felt like it had created an environment that was not conducive to winning.
"In spite of that, Shanahan believed he would be leaving the team on a very positive note, as the Redskins had won the NFC East in his third year as their coach and were preparing for a playoff run. He believed the team had come together and shown strong character during the seven-game winning streak on which it ended the regular season.But when Griffin injured his knee in that playoff loss, a source said, Shanahan changed his plans. He believed leaving at that point was no longer an option. He didn’t want the general public, or possibly even his players, to think he left because of Griffin’s injury."
If that is true, the Redskins might be looking for a new head coach this offseason. Though it would go against Shanahan wanting to leave the team on a high note, but who knows when that high note will come.
“That story is ridiculous,” team spokesman Tony Wyllie said.