Redskins Fear Robert Griffin III Has ACL Tear in Right Knee
By Josh Hill
The Washington Redskins were bounced from the NFC playoffs on Sunday, but not playing next week is the least of their concerns. Star rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III had to leave the loss against the Seahawks with a right knee injury, and the Redskins now fear that Griffin III may have suffered a torn ACL.
Everything suggests that RGIII has a torn ACL, with the most damning evidence being that it was a non-contact injury. He could have re-injured his sprained LCL, or even torn that muscle, but no matter what it ends up being, Robert Griffin III suffered a pretty bad injury on Sunday.
If Griffin III suffered a torn ACL, it would not only be the second of his career, but it would be the second ACL tear that occurred in the game on Sunday. Seahawks linebacker CHris Clemons tore his ACL on Sunday as well, which has many people up in arms about the quality of the turf at FedEx Field during the game.
Many writers and fans alike commented on how choppy the field was prior to the game, and when it concluded it had claimed the ACL of one player and may have claimed the ACL of the potential Rookie of the Year in Robert Griffin III.
“Honestly, it’s up in the air right now.” Griffin said of his right knee. “I know coming off the field I thought it was just the same thing [a sprained LCL]. But right now, we’ll see what it is.”
Griffin sprained his LCL in a win against the Baltimore Ravens a few weeks back and was forced to miss the Redskins Week 16 win against the Cleveland Browns as a result. It was reported early on Sunday that Dr. James Andrews had not medically cleared RGIII to return to action in Week 17 and likely had not given the rookie his blessing for the Redskins playoff matchup either.
Mike Shanahan is under sharp criticism for leaving Griffin III in the game when he was clearly limping, but the field quality deserves almost more of the blame. It’s no doubt a scapegoat that Shanahan can lean on, but there is no denying that the quality of the field on Sunday was less than stellar and if it caused two separate ACL tears, that’s not a coincidence.