Amidst the drama of the Daniel Snyder-Coach Shanahan debacle, rumors began circulating that the father of quarterback Robert Griffin III was pushing Snyder to hire Baylor coach Art Briles when Shanahan is fired. However, Griffin told USA Today Sports, “It’s false,” and then added that all of the recent stress and harmful gossip surrounding the team has led him to seek the advice of veteran linebacker London Fletcher, who will said Wednesday that he will most likely retire after this season.
“I do take that advice,” Griffin said. “Just because for some people it can push you over the edge and really frustrate you. I just have to do what Fletch told me, let it all go. Because the people that know you, defend you. And you can’t try to defend yourself or your family in these situations. I’ll always remember when I first walked into this locker room, they sat me next to him and that was for a reason and I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Fletcher also made some encouraging comments on Griffin’s behalf, saying that the star quarterback has faced an immense amount of pressure. “Robert has come in with a tremendous amount of pressure,” Fletcher said. “When you talk about being the Heisman Trophy winner, so many draft picks they gave up to get him. This is an organization that hasn’t had a franchise quarterback for over 20 years. So the amount of expectations he had, the way he performed last year, he exceeded those expectations leading us to the playoffs.”
Fletcher also came to Shanahan’s defense saying: “I think coach Shanahan is a great coach. Probably, 95 percent of guys who have played for him would love playing for him. As I look at the current situation, I think coach Shanahan is the right guy.”
