Robert Griffin III Wedding Registry Backlash as Ridiculous as Gifts Themselves

If you find yourself suddenly enraged over Robert Griffin III receiving wedding gifts from fans whom make far less money than he does, you are being ridiculous. 

As has been reported by various outlets and summed up by Bleacher Report's Matt Fitzgerald, Griffin recently took to Twitter to tip his hat to fans who thought to buy him various gifts off his Bed Bath & Beyond wedding registry. 

"

Thank you to the Fans who are helping buy ALL the items from our wedding registry at Bed Bath & Beyond … say.ly/MLw5Rbg

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) May 19, 2013"

That rather innocuous tweet was apparently far more polarizing than the Redskins quarterback imagined. 

The backlash was so tremendous the 23-year-old decided to stick up for himself over the barrage of fans questioning his decision to take gifts from fans. 

"

I didn't ask the fans to buy me anything. They found it on their own and decided to get what they could. SMH at all these Debbie downers

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) May 19, 2013"

"

Because you are rich you are not allowed to receive gifts and any gifts you receive should be donated to charity???? #WOW Smh...

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) May 20, 2013"

And he has a point that seems to have been lost on many: He never asked for these gifts. There was no shortage of blogs and websites that featured Griffin's newly discovered wedding registry, including my very own post. 

It was a silly story that served to illustrate what a star athlete might request from friends and family at his upcoming nuptials. It gave many, including The Washington Post's Sarah Kogod, an opportunity to kid that fans might want to purchase their star some inexpensive gifts. 

Fans certainly took the joke to heart and bought presents in droves, garnering a pile of cardboard that soon arrived at RG3's house. 

So what is a young man who has done nearly everything right in his short career to do? Well, whatever he damn well pleases. 

We fans have grown accustomed to standing behind the scenes, arms crossed in contempt, telling athletes how they are horrible human beings and how they could have done things differently, as if any of us could stand the same scrutiny. 

This Griffin wedding registry guff, something that started out so innocently, has become, well, a thing. 

Not only is the NFL superstar feeling the heat, but so too are the fans who decided to buy an item off a list as a mere goof, or perhaps to tell friends they once contributed to a star's wedding. 

Silly? Yes. Ridiculous? Of course. Then again, so too are a great many of my financial decisions when it comes to sports. 

The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg corralled a good portion of the vitriol from fans directed at Griffin and his wedding-gift-purchasing fans. Here are two that seem the most salient: 

"

“Fans keep buying gifts you would keep them all? I wouldn’t, middle class w/term disease. Think less fortunate could benefit?” wrote one critic, who termed RGIII “selfish” and “arrogant.” 

“Nice to know that so many people who probably wouldn’t give a can of soup for a food drive will buy new sheets for RGIII,” wrote the AJC’s Jeff Schultz, with wagging finger fully in motion.

"

Again, buying a gift for Griffin is absolutely insane, but so is seriously questioning the athlete and his fans with the gravitas of someone who has never overpaid to see a game or plunked down the enormous cost of food at a concession stand with a straight face. 

Of course this money could have been better spent. Yes, Griffin hardly needs free gifts from fans. Getting on your high horse and castigating an athlete is nothing new on Twitter; it's just the horse is a tad higher and a bit more misguided than normal.

Griffin can go ahead and do what he pleases with his new treasure trove of spoon holders and water filters, each a show of support from fans who would just as soon buy equally whimsical Griffin socks. 

The rest of us can take a chill pill or two. Not everything a sports star does is villainous and profane.

Life's too short for all this drama. 

Hit me up on Twitter and we can fight about it: Follow @gabezal