Coming out of the 2012 NFL draft, then-No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III looked like a budding superstar for the Washington Commanders.
The Washington signal caller would get off the ground running (almost quite literally) in his first season, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. However, some injury mishandling during the late season would eventually lead Griffin III to tear his ACL in those same playoffs. He was never quite the same after that initial campaign, eventually bouncing around the league and taking a job with ESPN as a college football and NFL analyst.
With that context in mind, Griffin III seemed to appreciate how the modern Commanders were handling the situation of another recent top-two pick of theirs in Chase Young. The pass rusher is currently working his way back from a torn ACL. And as NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay reports, Washington isn’t “rushing him back.”
This news was music to the ears of Griffin III:
I’m all for the Washington Commanders taking their time with Chase Young’s Knee and his return to play.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 26, 2022
Some NFL fans noticed the irony in Griffin III’s statement about Washington’s patient approach with Young as opposed to what happened in his career. And in one exchange, he may have directly addressed his own mishandled past:
Historically, that's usually been the smart thing to do with a former second overall pick who is still early in their career and has a lot of room to grow.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) October 26, 2022
Agreed.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 26, 2022
Oh, man. You don’t have to read the subtext there to know what Griffin III agrees with. With better luck, things could’ve, might’ve, and probably would’ve been different for Griffin III in Washington. At least he seems to understand that patience is the key with newer Commanders players recovering from their injuries.