Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was knocked out of Sunday’s game with a concussion, but he doesn’t think he’ll be out long.
Griffin wrote on Twitter after the Redskins’ 24-17 loss to the Falcons on Sunday and said that he believes he’ll play next week. Although NFL teams are becoming increasingly cautious about concussions, the fact that Redskins coach Mike Shanahan referred to Griffin’s concussion as “mild” would also suggest that the team expects to have Griffin back on the field a week from now, when they host the Vikings.
Thank you for all the prayers & support
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 7, 2012
I'm ok and I think after all the testing I will play next week.
The most important thing for the Redskins and for Griffin is to make sure he’s fully recovered and no more susceptible to another concussion before putting him back on the field. If the doctors say he’s good to go next week, fine. But it would be incredibly foolish for the Redskins to rush Griffin back, or to allow him to rush himself back. NFL Network reported after the game that the league will look into how the Redskins handled Griffin’s concussion, when they first announced that he was just “shaken up” and allowed him to leave the locker room and head toward the sideline, before he turned back and returned to the locker room.
And when Griffin does return, the Redskins need to stress to him the importance of sliding, stepping out of bounds or throwing the ball away as a means of reducing the risk of further injuries. The hit Griffin took from Atlanta linebacker Sean Weatherspoon today was the kind of hit Griffin needs to learn to avoid.