Video: The Washington Post’s LaVar Arrington describes the complex coach-player relationship in the NFL and how that dynamic played a key role in Mike Shanahan’s decision not to bench Robert Griffin III in the Redskins’ loss to Seattle on Sunday.
The NFL Players Association is expected to decide soon, perhaps Friday, whether to demand a formal investigation of the Washington Redskins’ handling of the knee injury suffered by quarterback Robert Griffin III under the sport’s collective bargaining agreement, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday.
The union also issued a public plea Thursday for the Redskins to improve the quality of the playing surface at FedEx Field.
The Post’s LaVar Arrington wonders if Robert Griffin III will ever be the same quarterback after suffering another knee injury in the Redskins’ loss to the Seahawks and offers his injured pinky as a small example of this type of damage that a body can absorb during a career in football.
Griffin, the Redskins’ brilliant 22-year-old rookie quarterback, is recovering in Florida after undergoing surgery there Wednesday on two torn ligaments in his right knee. His season ended when he left Sunday’s playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks after re-injuring his knee. He was playing in his third game since he suffered a mild sprain of the lateral collateral ligament in that knee.
“Our medical director, Dr. Thom Mayer, has been in contact with the Redskins and has asked for a report on Robert Griffin III’s medical diagnosis and treatment,” George Atallah, the union’s assistant executive director of external affairs, said by telephone Thursday.
Under the CBA, the league and union have a joint committee on player safety and welfare. The CBA gives the union the right “to commence an investigation before the joint committee if the NFLPA believes that the medical care of a team is not adequately taking care of player safety.”
Also Thursday, Mark Adickes, the former Redskins lineman turned orthopedic surgeon who performed reconstructive surgery on Griffin’s right knee in 2009, predicted that Griffin could return from his latest surgery in time for the Redskins’ 2013 regular season opener. He also said the quarterback would make a full return to his 2012 pre-injury level of play.
“I would think eight months would be the number,” Adickes said when asked to estimate when Griffin might return to action. A timetable of eight months would put Griffin’s return in early September 2013, about the time the Redskins open the season.
Asked about a potential return to Griffin’s pre-injury ability, Adickes said, “I think his knee is going to be rock solid and he’ll be able to be the guy we saw this year.”
Other sports orthopedists not involved in Griffin’s care and with no specific knowledge of Wednesday’s surgery have estimated Griffin’s return at eight to 12 months. Several physicians have suggested Griffin may not be able to make a complete return to his previous level of speed, agility and explosiveness.
Adickes, who is based in Houston, was not involved in Griffin’s latest surgery, but has consulted with Redskins medical personnel and has been in close contact with Griffin’s family.
He revealed two additional aspects of Griffin’s surgery that the Redskins did not address in the statement they released from orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, who repaired Griffin’s lateral collateral ligament and reconstructed his anterior cruciate ligament Wednesday. That statement is the only formal announcement about Griffin by anyone associated with the team.
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