Jay Gruden called ESPN “amateurish” after a report was made that a majority of teammates don’t respect Robert Griffin III.
After a report surfaced before Sunday’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins that said that Robert Griffin III has teammates that seem to disrespect him, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden was having none of it, saying the report was “amateurish.”
“I saw those,” Jay Gruden said about the reports in a press conference after the game. “It was an amateurish report. It was totally not true. And for anybody who reads that to believe that, they’re an amateur. Anybody who reports that’s an amateur. It’s totally false. And just something else that you have to deal with up here at a press conference, that Robert has to deal with, that the players have to deal with, that they’re going to write about and ask about.
“But we are in D.C., and it is Robert Griffin, and they’re always going to try to tear him down and tear us down for whatever reason,” Gruden went on. “But we’re going to stay united as a locker room, and that’s that. We’re not going to let anybody get to us. That’s some small-time reporter reporting fiction.”
The report by ESPN’s Britt McHenry reported that when Griffin III was being interviewed, teammates began to get loud and cheer, drowning out his voice:
"When Griffin began addressing the media in the locker room on Friday for the first time since dislocating his left ankle in Week 2, about 15 teammates began shouting. It was so loud and distracting, the franchise quarterback — and reporters — had to leave the locker room so Griffin could speak someplace where he could be heard. That’s when the cheering got even more boisterous."
After both reports surfaced, members of the Washington media voiced their opposition to the alleged inaccuracy of the report. But, ESPN personality and Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon said it was solid.
great job by my colleague Britt McHenry
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) November 2, 2014
Washington Redskins beat writer for the Washington Post, Mike Jones, disagreed and said it was aimed at media.
Re: ESPN locker room report: Grossly misinterpreted. The noise, yelling over intrvw was not directed at RGIII, but at Redskins PR.
— Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) November 2, 2014
Certain Redskins players have yelled, whooped and hollered over interviews in locker room for weeks since PR gave extra availability.
— Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) November 2, 2014
Washington sports radio personality Brian McNally also disagreed with the report.
I was in #Redskins locker room Friday. That player outburst that forced reporters from room - obnoxious as it was - not directed at RGIII
— Brian McNally (@bmcnally14) November 2, 2014
There definitely seems to be some conflicting ideas on what’s really going on in the Redskins locker room. Either the Washington media is being dishonest trying to defend the team, or their similar explanation for why that happened in the locker room is valid.
The Redskins took a 26-29 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday when Griffin III returned.
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