Clarity on Why Griffin III Missed Ravens Game

BALTIMORE – Drama attaches itself to the Redskins like a remora.

Why would this week be any different? On Saturday night, after his team’s satisfying 31-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, Washington coach Jay Gruden tried to explain how quarterback Robert Griffin III went from a concussion to a full week of practice to clearance for Saturday’s game. And then, without warning, the independent neurologist who approved the decision to clear Griffin decided to unclear him.

Instead of playing in a critical third preseason game, trying to shake off an all-around ugly effort against the Detroit Lions on Aug. 20, Griffin spent an hour on the field Saturday working through a pregame routine for a game he would not play in.

Quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh critiqued throws and offered advice as Griffin worked up a healthy sweat on a muggy afternoon throwing one pass after another to teammates. He worked on footwork, pocket presence and mechanics. He looked like a man about to play one of the most important games of his career. Instead, he would watch from the sidelines.

Griffin did not speak to reporters afterward. After an awkward press conference on Thursday where he wouldn’t even acknowledge sustaining a concussion against the Lions, that was probably for the best.

Teammate Matt Jones claimed he went to sleep Friday night and had no idea Griffin was out of the lineup until he awoke to a social media furor on Saturday morning at the team hotel. It happened that fast.

“We’re as confused as you are,” Washington coach Jay Gruden said. “People have to understand this has nothing to do with the Washington Redskins. I know people want to make it out that we’re incompetent, but this had nothing to do with us.”

Once cleared by team doctors, that decision and all reports and test data are forwarded to an independent neurologist. He and his team either give a thumbs up or a thumbs down to it. In this case, Gruden says the neurologist, Northern Virginia-based Robert N. Kurtzke, gave the team verbal clearance on Thursday that Griffin was okay to go full-contact and play in the Ravens game.

But on Friday, according to a statement from Kurtzke and issued by the Redskins, further data was presented from a neuropsychologist working with him that was convincing enough to rescind Griffin’s clearance in the final written report.

The timing left the Redskins stunned. Griffin had been cleared for non-contact work as far back as Sunday and went through four full days of practice leading up to the game. Instead, 24 hours before playing Baltimore, Griffin was out and Kirk Cousins was given the start.

“It was a league-mandated independent doctor,” Gruden said. “There was a lot of confusion there. Hell, I read the report and I was confused.”

Add in muddled messages from the team and player all week and you had a 10-alarm fire raging: Saying Griffin had a concussion yet speeding him through the NFL concussion protocol in less than 72 hours; Gruden saying “I have no idea” when asked how that happened; why Griffin was so obtuse when asked questions on Thursday about his status and if he’d even suffered a concussion at all; Plus, Griffin lamely offering “I just work here, man” when asked his thoughts about being left in the Detroit game to take one big hit after another.

That allowed conspiracy theories to blossom unchecked on sports talk radio. The team’s own checkered history with the truth during the Daniel Snyder era probably hurt it there. But Gruden insisted the plan was to start Griffin until the team returned to its hotel from a Friday walk through at Joint Base Andrews and team doctors received the email: Griffin couldn’t play.

Did the Redskins do right by its starting quarterback or did they rush him back and cause further complications? Was this a rouge neurologist making an odd decision or an independent doctor doing what the NFL contracted him to do: Protect a team and player from themselves? The Redskins have their version of the story.

“No, we did everything by the book,” Gruden said. “[Griffin] was cleared for non-contact activity so we didn’t put him in harm’s way in any way, shape or form. It was through some seven-on-sevens and he did some drills. We never touch the quarterback. He felt okay at the time, but we still wanted to make sure he went through the necessary steps with the independent doctor. He did that, took the test, got cleared verbally, I guess, and the report read something different and we were forced to sit him.”

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/08/30/clarity-on-why-griffin-iii-missed-ravens-game/