Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is happy spending his summer preparing for his rookie season in the NFL, but there’s a small part of him that wishes he were spending his summer in London and competing in the Olympics.
Griffin, who was a good enough hurdler that he could have been an Olympian if he hadn’t decided to dedicate himself full-time to football, told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that when he watches the Olympic trials it’s frustrating to him to know that it could be him out there.
“My dad was talking to me about it [Wednesday night] and he was saying that a lot of my peers, the guys that I beat growing up, are running at the trials,” Griffin said. “And . . . it does suck. I mean, that’s the only way to say it. It sucks. But I’m definitely fortunate to be in the situation that I am, being in the NFL, being a franchise quarterback for a team with the opportunity to go out and do an infinite amount of things.”
Griffin even mused that, “If I wake up one day and it’s 2016 and I say I want to go run the hurdles again, I can do that.”
But it’s pretty safe to say Griffin won’t do that. Every fourth summer he may feel a twinge of nostalgia for his other sport, but his present and his future are in football.
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Self proclaimed franchise QB?
Don’t you have to play before you can be “a franchise QB.”
I’m not saying he won’t be, but that seems a little presumptuous.
I’m sure a lot of those runners are saying “It sucks I can’t get paid what an NFL starting Quarterback gets paid”.
Go check your bank account and the bank accounts of those guys you beat growing up. Now what sucks again?
Going .500 will be your biggest hurdle this year, bud.
Im having a tough time sympathizing with his position… guess i should have trained more in high school
National pride vs cash grab….I’d go with pay day any day.
I wouldn’t be so sure about that Mr. Griffin. A lot of things can happen between now and 2016…
Most sports fans would agree….watching Olympic trials would suck.
Franchise quarterback?
The grass is always greener…..yada, yada, yada.
As a Skins fan I think him proclaiming himself a “franchise QB” before ever having played an NFL snap is presumptuous but I know he’s keeping his “nose to grindstone” so that’s all I really care about.
Yeah, “It sucks” until he gets his first paycheck.
Robert.. You play a real sport, not trying to be the best at exercising.
If you’re drafted second overall, you’re expected to be franchise quarterback. There will never be a shortage of idiots on the internet.
It would be cool, if the team had let him go for it, imagine winning a gold medal, then an MVP or Super Bowl.
20 rush TDs for RG3 this season.
Everybody complaining he described himself as the “franchise” QB, he is. The Skins bet the next 3 years of the franchise on him, so yeah he is until he isn’t. And I’m sure Snyder and the Shanahani , and our beloved Skins marketing department would agree that he is the franchise QB.
I think the RG3 is the real deal, but if I was a Skins fan I would be a little concerned at this point. On the other hand, he’s likely to get a lot of practice running and hurdling next season.
With regards to the Franchise QB comments I’ll say this, it’s better to have a QB who expects to be great than to hope to be great…and he will be
RG3 fastest time in the 110 meter hurdles was 13.46 seconds which would have won him the 1966 olympics
As for the 400 meter hurdles RG3s BEST time
was 49.56 which would have won him the 1956
olympics
Needless to say with todays olympic athletes
RG3 would have no chance whatsoever
There were stories about Darrell Green considering trying for the Olympics back in the mid 80s, but it never came to anything. But anyone wanna say he couldn’t have done it if he had wanted to? I wouldn’t. It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.
As for RG3, let’s wait and see if he beats out Kirk Cousins first.
@miamiron
And if RG3 would have continued to train over the last 3 years he would without a doubt be at the trials.. Come on man, you post his amateur times? He wouldn’t have reached his track speed prime until about now fool.
So, explain to me what prevented you from trying out for the Olympics? And who was it that forced you to take the money?
Yeah, it sucks to be you. Riiiiiiight.
The gap between Luck and RG3 is significant. If I had to bet on it I’d probably say Weeden has a better pro career as well.
Lot of very jealous people commenting on this post.
I think someone feels bad because he has horse teeth.
he’ll have his shot in 2016, i’m sure the arena league won’t mine one bit
It must suck to not have RGIII on your team.
Being an olympian is great, but they don’t pay olympians $22 million over 4 years with the prospect of making a lot more if you are successful.
the twinge of nostalgia will be nothing compared to the ache of his posterior from being pounded into the turf as an undersized QB in the NFL.
Darell Green didn’t go. RGIII is in good company. Maybe he should seek D’s counsel?