ESPN reported early Tuesday morning (Jan. 8th) that Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (RG3) suffered a partially torn lateral collateral ligament in his right knee during Sunday's playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Many fans and sports experts have been critical about coach Shanahan’s choice to leave RG3 in the game after he appeared to tweak his knee on a pass attempt in the first quarter and showed obvious signs that he was not 100 percent. RG3 would officially be taken out of the contest in the fourth quarter after twisting his knee trying to recover a botched snap.
The news of RG3’s injury has prompted the Redskins to send him to see team physician Dr. James Andrews.
Dr. James Andrews is also playing another important role in this developing story, as he made a statement about his comments to USA Today that he did not clear RG3 to return to the Dec. 9th game in which he originally hurt his knee.
On Monday, Andrews told the Washington Post that “Shanahan didn’t lie about it, and I didn’t lie.”
"I didn't get to examine (RG3’s knee) because he came out for one play, didn't let us look at him and on the next play, he ran through all the players and back out onto the field," he told the newspaper.
"Coach Shanahan looks at me like; 'Is he OK?' and I give him the 'Hi' sign as in, 'He's running around, so I guess he's OK.' But I didn't get to check him out until after the game. It was just a communication problem. Heat of battle. I didn't get to tell him I didn't get to examine the knee. Mike Shanahan would never have put him out there at risk just to win a game."
These new comments by Andrews may have taken the heat off coach Shanahan for now, but if RG3’s injury becomes career damaging or affects his availability next season, Shanahan could be in store for much worse scrutiny.
In the end, this story is a very touchy subject. Everyone has the right to have their own opinion on the matter, but before judging Shanahan or RG3, one should remember how fans and NFL players bashed Chicago Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler’s toughness when he took himself out of the playoff match-up against the Green Bay Packers in 2011.
When you put these two stories together, maybe there is no right or wrong way to go about an injury. RG3 could have pulled a Cutler and took himself out when he knew he was hurt, or he could have done what he did and try to play through the pain. Whether it was the right or wrong choice to let RG3 play, fans can respect him for not giving up on his team and leaving everything he had on the field.
What is your opinion on the matter? Do you think coach Shanahan is to blame for RG3’s injury? Comment at the bottom of the page or send me a tweet @apalinckx89.
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