A Word Of Advice To Robert Griffin III

It’s not a stretch to say the Washington Redskins’ quarterback Robert Griffin III may be the most visible player in the National Football League. Whether it’s commercials, magazine covers, or the lead headline on ESPN, “RGIII” is basically everywhere thanks to his prowess on and off the field.

However, in recent weeks, much has been made about Griffin III’s candid comments to the media during press conferences about his knee rehabilitation from off-season surgery. Coach Mike Shanahan has maintained a “slow and easy” approach to Griffin III’’s knee while Robert feels he could play a game tomorrow and thus, should have an increased workload during practice. Griffin III’s willingness to publicly disagree with his coach as caused a bit of a media storm, especially when Griffin III told reporters that he “did not like” his rehab program.

Now the point of this article is not criticize the young quarterback as much as it is to call him to realize an important point: the media can turn on you in a second and that’s when the money goes as well. Griffin III is a straight shooter during interviews. He gives his 100% honest opinion at all times, which proves that he is a bit naïve. He has to realize that he may just be the most marketable athlete in the world. Everything he says, no matter how insignificant is going to be analyzed and maybe even over-analyzed. Thus, he has to be smarter in how candid he chooses to be when speaking publicly.

In his rookie season, RGIII was near the top in jersey sales for all NFL’ers, proving that fans (even of other teams) love the 23 – year old. To keep being profitable and at the top, Griffin III has to learn how to play the media’s game, meaning saying the “right” thing even if it is not necessarily the truth. It may not be fun, but it’s better than ending up like Jay Cutler, Phil Rivers, or Michael Vick. All it takes is for a new phenom to arise and take all the Gatorade and Adidas endorsements…

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Aaron J. Coleman is currently a sport management major at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA minoring in Communication (with a focus in Public Relations). He was born and raised in Upper Marlboro, MD, a suburb outside of Washington, DC. He is currently a supervisor for Drexel’s Intramural Sports program and also an intern for the Arena Football Legaue’s Philadelphia Soul franchise. He covers the Chicago Bulls, New York Yankees, and Washington Redskins (his favorite squads along with the Washington Capitals and Drexel Dragons) for sportsfansnews.com. Follow Aaron on Twitter @shutupCole.