ASHBURN, VA. (AP) - If Robert Griffin III is “All in for Week 1,” what’s the status of his backup, Kirk Cousins?
“I was trying to get an `All in for Week 4 of the Preseason’ commercial,” Cousins said Monday.
Actually, Cousins isn’t likely to play in the Washington Redskins’ final preseason game Thursday because of his sprained right foot. He did say there’s “no doubt at all” he’ll be ready for the opener Sept. 9.
“I do want to play Thursday, but I’d also rather be safe than sorry,” Cousins said. “If someone could grant me a wish and tell me I wasn’t going to get hurt, or I wasn’t going to re-aggravate it, then I would like to get out there.”
To that end, Cousins was able to poke fun at Griffin, who launched an “All in for Week 1” campaign with a shoe company in his quest to return from major knee surgery.
“I could get a T-shirt that says `All in for Week 4 of the Preseason.’ That’s not quite as catchy, and I don’t have an endorsement deal with an apparel company,” Cousins said. “Maybe someone will sign me now. I don’t make enough money to get fined. Maybe I’ll get a deal with some off-brand or something that sells at Walmart or something.”
Griffin was fined $10,000 last week for wearing an “Operation Patience” T-shirt before a preseason game, with the NFL calling it “unauthorized apparel.” Also last week, by coincidence, Cousins changed out of a Nebraska T-shirt before addressing reporters in the locker room because Nebraska gear is sponsored by Adidas, while the NFL has a deal with Nike.
“It’s not worth the risk,” Cousins said.
Of course, the fact that it was a Nebraska shirt led to more questions, given that Cousins went to Michigan State. It turns out that the shirt was given to him last year by Redskins teammate _ and former Cornhuskers defensive back _ DeJon Gomes after Cousins lost a friendly bet.
“I wake up in the morning, usually 6 a.m., and my room’s dark, and I just throw something on,” Cousins said. “I’m cheap. I just kept it. I like free clothes. … Adidas made a comfortable shirt. If it didn’t say Nebraska, it would be even better.”
Cousins was limited in practice Monday and said he was still favoring the foot. He said he could play with a painkilling injection, but there’s no point in doing that for a preseason game.
“At most I think this is a two-week injury,” he said. “And I injured it three weeks before the opening day, so I’ve got a lot of time to get healthy.”
Griffin is sitting out the entire preseason and hopes to get clearance from his doctor to play in Week 1. He is not scheduled to speak to reporters this week.
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