Robert Griffin III insisted that he was fine with continuing to play despite an injury in the Washington Redskins' postseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks, saying that he probably would have continued playing even if head coach Mike Shanahan gave him the hook.
Shanahan received much criticism for leaving Griffin in the game, as the rookie quarterback was clearly playing hurt. The offense stagnated, but things didn't get really bad until Griffin aggravated the injury later, causing him to leave the game -- and, many fear, causing long-term damage. However, after the game, Griffin insisted he had wanted to stay in the game, telling his coach he was healthy, and said he would have continued playing regardless of the coach's decision.
I’d probably been right back out there on the field. You respect authority and I respect coach Shanahan but at the same time you have to step up and be a man sometimes.There was no way I was coming out of the game," Griffin said. "It’s an awkward conversation you never want to have with a head coach. You don’t want him to ever feel like you’re lying to him. I wasn’t lying to him, I was able to play. Period. If he would have pulled me out, I would have been highly upset but that’s his prerogative. He kept me in."
Griffin was fine to start the game despite suffering a knee injury a few weeks earlier, but began playing with a noticeable limp in the first quarter. Dr. James Andrews inspected the knee and cleared him to continue playing, and Griffin did, although with diminishing results: after leading the team on touchdown drives on its first two possessions, the Redskins wouldn't score, as Griffin looked uncomfortable moving with the ball and didn't have enough power throwing off of just one leg. Then, he got injured for good, forcing Shanahan to bring in Kirk Cousins, but it was too late for Washington to come back.
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