The last time Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III injured his knee, the team whisked him to an MRI tube and announced promptly that he had no structural damage in his knee.
This time around, there’s a much different vibe.
Via Jim Corbett of USA Today, Griffin sounds far less confident than he did four weeks ago regarding the question of whether he suffered an injury to the ACL in his right knee.
“Honestly, it’s up in the air right now.” Griffin said. “I know coming off the field I thought it was just the same thing [a sprained LCL]. But right now, we’ll see what it is.
“No matter what it is, our season’s over right now, and I’ve just got to make sure that I get back healthy no matter what the injury is.’'
Right, but a mild sprain to the LCL can heal on its own, with rest. An ACL tear requires reconstructive surgery.
For Griffin, it would be the second torn ACL in his right knee of his career.
Whatever it was, it didn’t look good. After his limping became more noticeable throughout the game, the knee gave out while Griffin was trying to recover a low snap on the first drive after the Seahawks took their first lead of the game.
It reminded me of the way Dennis Dixon’s knee gave out several years ago at Oregon, when as it turned out he was actually playing with a torn ACL. While we’re not saying or suggesting or hinting or even speculating that Griffin may have been playing with a torn ACL, the circumstances of this situation are sufficiently weird to make us at least wonder whether Griffin’s actual condition was worse than anyone had previously admitted.
Regardless, it’s clear that Griffin wasn’t right on Sunday. Even if he wanted to be on the field, the NFL’s desire to eliminate the “warrior” culture when it comes to concussions can’t apply only to concussions. Teams and doctors must have the ability to remove a guy from the field, or no player will ever want to come out, whether he has a head injury or a knee injury or any other condition that could be aggravated by playing.