RG3 Week In Review

May 23, 2013; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III stretches on the field during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Griffin III is a transcendent cultural icon…and a pretty decent quarterback as well. For these reasons, I am writing a weekly Monday column in which I track/stalk his every movement during this highly publicized off-season. Whether he is rehabbing his knee or stretching it on the red carpet, you will find it here.

Week of May 27th

Celebrating Memorial Day in style: While many Americans fired up their grills last Monday, Robert Griffin III honored our fallen heroes by serving as the honorary grand marshal for the National Memorial Day Parade. Despite riding around in an open car waiving to the public as the biggest hit of the parade, RG3 insisted that the attention he received was misplaced. Speaking with a local television station, he stated, “It’s not about me. They asked me to come out because they wanted my parents to be here. And I told them without a doubt I was gonna be here, because I want my parents to experience this, because they put in the time.” Somehow I doubt the parade officials were more interested in having RG2 than RG3. At least Griffin was smart enough to know what he was celebrating: “I think people get Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day mixed up. Memorial Day’s more about the people who died — celebrating the fact that there’s people out there that made the ultimate sacrifice for us to live the way we live.” Understanding that distinction is definitive proof that RG3 is one of the smartest athletes in the NFL today. There’s no way Michael Vick gets that one right.

McNabb’s advice: Former Washington great Donovan McNabb has some advice for his fellow quarterback: try to stay out of the spotlight. McNabb believes that RG3 is generating too much media attention and will ultimately set himself up for a backlash.

On his dad speaking to the media: “His dad should have never done a one-on-one interview like that. You can’t say what he said because it almost undermines his son, who has to answer all the questions about it later.”

On tweeting in front of wedding gift boxes: “You don’t just send the gifts back, because that’s not right in its own way. But you also don’t take a picture with all the gifts people sent you from your wedding registry and then tweet it out. It’s almost like throwing it in the people’s face that bought you things.”

On spare time activities: “My advice to any young quarterback off the top is this: You got spare time, spend it getting to know your teammates off the field. I used to invite mine to Arizona to train with me in the off-seasons.”

On last season: “There were times he sounded like a robot, programmed to be whoever they wanted him to be.”

As a retired player, McNabb can say whatever he wants. I don’t have a problem with any of these critiques…with the exception of the last one. McNabb spent his entire career sounding more like a politician than anyone else in the league. Calling out Griffin for sounding like a robot in his rookie year in Washington is pretty rich. The media spotlight is shining extra bright on Griffin. While that might not be a good thing for RG3’s career, I think football fans can agree it’s better than having the spotlight on McNabb.

New house! Robert Griffin finally has a place to put all those wedding gifts. According to the Washington Business Journal, Griffin purchased a $2.5 million, five bedroom house in Aldie, Virginia. The house is located in a private community in Loudoun County located near a Jack Nicklaus-designed course.  The 9,000-square-foot home comes complete with four bathrooms, two half baths, a wet bar, elevator, and mudroom. It’s a big house, but not unreasonably so. Griffin remembers where he came from.

Finally, I present the RG3 Tweet of the Week!

Also, rainbows!!!!