Robert Griffin III Says He Wasn't Meant to Be with Washington, Blames Media

Robert Griffin III's tenure with Washington took a sharp turn for the worse, something he blames in part on the media's coverage of the situation. 

Appearing on the ESPN reporter John Keim's podcast (h/t NBC Sports Washington's Andrew Gillis), Griffin explained the media's perception of him in Washington didn't line up with what was really going on:

"To keep it 100, the media coverage of me in Washington was part of that reason that people might have been pleasantly surprised. The people who have always known me have always known that I've always been this guy. People who really sit down and look at what happened in Washington know exactly why that happened."

Griffin said the "bottom line" was he "got hurt one too many times" and "it wasn't meant for me" to spend his entire career in Washington. 

Selected second overall by Washington in the 2012 Draft, Griffin looked like a superstar as a rookie. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year after throwing for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushing for 815 yards and seven touchdowns to help the team win the NFC East.

A knee injury suffered in Washington's 24-14 playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks and difficult relationship with then-head coach Mike Shanahan led to things quickly going south for Griffin. 

In response to a September 2017 radio interview with former Washington receiver Santana Moss, who said Griffin appeared happy that Shanahan was fired after the 2013 season, Griffin tweeted that he was "put in an impossible situation [with] a coach who never wanted me."

Griffin played sporadically during the 2014 season, Jay Gruden's first year as head coach, but fell to third string on the depth chart in 2015 behind Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy. 

After spending 2016 with the Cleveland Browns, Griffin sat out all of 2017 before signing with the Baltimore Ravens. The 30-year-old spent last season as Lamar Jackson's backup. He made his first start in three seasons in Week 17 last year in Baltimore's 28-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.