Redskins QB Robert Griffin III not cleared to play Saturday
By Dani Bostick
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was not cleared to play on Saturday.
The Washington Redskins will be without their starting quarterback, Robert Griffin III, Saturday in their preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens due to an injury sustained during last week’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions, which many considered to be avoidable.
By the time the Redskins coaching staff pulled Griffin from the field during last week’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions, Griffin had been subjected to a relentless beat-down.
With a porous offensive line, RGIII was dangerously vulnerable throughout the first quarter. Early in the second quarter his pummeling culminated in a shoulder stinger and an apparent concussion during a thwarted attempt to recover a fumble.
Though it did not take a medical degree to see that Griffin had had his proverbial bell rung, and though the team moved forward as if its beleaguered quarterback indeed suffered a concussion, Griffin himself has remained coy about the extent of his injury.
About the alleged concussion he said via ESPN on Thursday, “Talk to the people who report that stuff. I was in the locker room taking a shower getting ready to watch the rest of the game, so I don’t know. I’m following (the team’s) lead, following their protocol, and hopefully I can get out there and play.”
Though head coach Jay Gruden’s has been accused of reckless disregard for his quarterback’s safety during the Lion’s game, the Redskins have followed the NFL’s concussion protocol.
With a spate of bad publicity about the long-term impact of head injuries on football players, the NFL is attempting to implement policies that will protect current players. Despite these safeguards, there have been times recently when key players return to the game dazed and confused without undergoing the concussion protocol.
During the Pittsburgh Steelers playoff match up against the Baltimore Ravens this past January, two key players returned to the game after appearing to have suffered concussions. Star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and veteran tight end Health Miller each suffered blows to the head after which neither was held out of the game long enough for doctors to execute the concussion protocol, which takes at least 15 to 20 minutes.
Tests by an independent neurologists showed that Griffin could not be medically cleared in order to participate in Saturday’s game, although the team had said he was cleared to play earlier in the week.
This will give the embattled quarterback time to recover physically and regroup after his coach’s controversial decision to leave him vulnerable to attack throughout the first part of the game.
Griffin is handling comments about his coach the same way he addressed concerns about this health, declining to weigh in on his coach’s call. He did, however, manage to say quite a bit while saying very little: “As we like to say, I just work here, man.”
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