Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III met the media on Wednesday afternoon for the first time since getting benched by coach Mike Shanahan this week.
Griffin said that his job for the rest of the season is to help Kirk Cousins win games for the Redskins, but made it clear that he would prefer that his job responsibilities still included starting at quarterback.
“I’m sure everybody knows by now that coach decided to shut me down for the rest of the season. We talked, I talked to coach, he talked to me about it. I expressed my desire to play,” Griffin said. " He explained to me his reasoning. At the end of the day, coach’s decision is what we go with.”
Griffin dodged a question about whether he would want to play for Shanahan again next year in the increasingly unlikely event that Shanahan’s apparent staredown with owner Dan Snyder doesn’t end with a new coach. He did say he “can’t bother” worrying about whether Shanahan’s stated reason for making the move at quarterback, protecting Griffin, was the actual reason, although his demeanor and body language suggested he was bothered.
Snyder declined to comment on his way into the owners meetings on Wednesday and Shanahan is due to address the media shortly.