Robert Griffin III expressed his dissatisfaction with one of Washington’s radio personalities, Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan, accusing him of seeking attention by sharing a clip of Griffin discussing the New York Jets’ quarterback situation after Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending injury.
Griffin appeared on ESPN’s GetUp and discussed how some players like Carson Wentz, Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, and himself are not in the NFL because of their ability to play football but rather because they are seen as “distractions.”
Griffin mentioned that an NFL GM had told him, “I know you can still play. You look like you can still play. But if we bring you in, it’s going to be a distraction for our starting quarterback.”
The clip shared by Paulsen featured the immediate reactions of ESPN analysts Dominique Foxworth and Dan Graziano but did not include the conclusion of Griffin’s take, where he stated that no available quarterback is a better option than the Jets’ current quarterback, Zach Wilson.
This statement raised some eyebrows, with some suggesting that Griffin was subtly pitching himself to the New York Jets on live TV.
Griffin directed his criticism solely at Paulsen, who has been a longtime DC sports radio personality covering the Washington Commanders, the team where Griffin began his NFL career before becoming an ESPN analyst.
Opinions on Griffin’s point varied, with some understanding the message he was trying to convey about distractions, while others focused on the “distraction” aspect. Some believed Griffin was attempting to insert himself back into the NFL discussion.
Paulsen responded to the situation, explaining that he posted the clip without commentary because he found it amusing and that his job is not to promote the entire segment or show.
“That is not the point of the clip I posted – I don’t know what the larger conversation was because I wasn’t watching it, nor was that the clip; the clip was just his suggestion that the reason why neither he nor Kaepernick are in the NFL, or Wentz isn’t in the NFL, is that they’re too famous, essentially,” GP said. “I don’t think that’s the case for Kaepernick seven years after he last played, or Griffin 11 years after his unbelievably impressive 2012 season – I think those guys aren’t in the league because of injury history, and they just didn’t play well enough for a little while – but the fact that they’re celebrities…I don’t do celebrity backups, and a lot of teams don’t either, so it certainly works against them.”
“I guess he’s frustrated that I didn’t post the entire segment and he’s saying that that’s my job and I’m here to tell you that that’s not my job,” GP said. “I wasn’t watching Get Up, and my job isn’t to promote the show or the entire segment. I saw a funny video clip of him saying there are a bunch of quarterbacks that would make sense if they weren’t so famous, one of whom is me, and I posted that video – without commentary, by the way.”
Robert Griffin III has had a love-and-hate relationship with Washington fans. He spent his first four NFL seasons with Washington after being selected second overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that year but suffering a torn ACL that altered the trajectory of his career.
Griffin was released by Washington after the 2015 season and played an additional four years in the league, primarily as a backup with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens.
Paulsen suggested that the celebrity status of players like Wentz, Kaepernick, Newton, and Griffin played a role in their absence from the NFL, but their performance struggles were significant factors, especially for Griffin, who spent the later years of his career as a backup.
Paulsen extended an invitation for Griffin to appear on his show to address their differences.
