Washington Redskins' head coach Mike Shanahan has been highly criticized for the way he handled quarterback Robert Griffin III's health throughout the season in 2012. Griffin appeared injured multiple times, but continued to play. He sported a heavy brace during the team's playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, spending most of the game limping around the field. He ultimately went down one final time, tearing his ACL in the process. Shanahan said he was letting Griffin make the decision of playing, but now he is re-adjusting his attitude for the quarterback in the 2013 season.
Many believe that Griffin should been taken out part way through the Redskin's playoff loss. Shanahan said postgame that he relied on Griffin's word that he felt healthy and could play. Clearly, that did not work out in Washington's favor. Now, Shanahan is saying that Griffin will not be allowed to play until he is at 100 percent health, no matter what.
"So at the end of this year, as we go into next year, one thing we're going to make sure of is that Robert never plays if he's not 100 percent. So if he does tell me something, I'm not going to believe him this year compared to last year," Shanahan said.
Griffin is the future of the Washington Redskins and Shanahan said he knows that he must approach the quarterback differently than other players. He noted that each player's injury situation is different and that "100 percent" can mean different things for everyone.
Griffin's recovery has been the main focus of the Redskins since they have limited draft picks this year. The quarterback has been busy rehabbing from the knee surgery and reportedly way ahead of schedule. Dr. James Andrews has been keeping the health of Griffin tightly under wraps, only saying that he is impressed with the amount of progress Griffin has made and that the quarterback will truly shock some people.
No one will really know where Griffin stands until the team reports for training camp in July. The quarterback has made it known that he intends on being under center Week 1 of the 2013 season. However, if he is not healthy by then, Shanahan has every plan to stop him from playing.
