Robert Griffin III knee injury diagnosis unclear, Redskins say

The extent of Robert Griffin III’s right knee injury is still not known, Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Monday. The quarterback is set to see Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday.

Shanahan did not want to speculate on the extent of the injury. Griffin suffered a Grade 2 lateral collateral ligament sprain Dec. 9. He tore the ACL in the knee during his time at Baylor.

“Right now, I really don’t know,” Shanahan said, saying sometimes MRIs show old injuries.

“When adversity strikes you respond in one of two ways,” Griffin wrote on Twitter moments before Shanahan’s press conference began. “You step aside and give in..Or you step up and fight.

Griffin wore a brace and played through a sprained LCL in his right knee in Washington’s 24-14 loss to Seattle on Sunday. He aggravated the LCL when he fell awkwardly on his leg while passing on the Redskins’ second drive. He obviously was hobbled after that, but Griffin continued playing until suffering another knee injury in the fourth quarter.

Griffin was severely injured when he leaned down to pick up a low shotgun snap that was on the ground. His knee gruesomely buckled.

“I think I did put myself at more risk by being out there,” Griffin said before departing the stadium. “But every time you step on the football field…you’re putting your life, your career, every single ligament in your body in jeopardy. That’s just the approach I had to take towards it. My teammates needed me out there, so I was out there for them.”

Shanahan permitted Griffin to stay in the game after aggravating his LCL injury. Griffin vouched for his ability to be effective, and Shanahan deferred to his franchise quarterback, saying he couldn’t disagree with Griffin’s assertion he deserved to stay in the game.

“You got to go with your gut, and I did,” Shanahan said. “I’m not saying my gut is always right, but I’ve been there before. In different situations, I get to know Robert better and better as time goes on. I’ll know how stubborn he is. He’s a competitor, and I’ll probably second guess myself.”

Team doctors, including Andrews, cleared Griffin to return to the game, Shanahan said.

“We would not play Robert if we thought there was a risk of him further injuring that LCL,” he said.

However, Shanahan on Dec. 10 said Andrews cleared Griffin to return to the Redskins’ Dec. 9 game against Baltimore after Griffin first sprained his LCL. Griffin returned to that game for five plays before he could not continue. Andrews refuted Shanahan’s claim that he cleared Griffin that day, according to a USA Today report Sunday morning.

Andrews was not available to comment after Sunday’s loss to Seattle. In Sunday morning’s USA Today report, Andrews said: “He’s still recovering, and I’m holding my breath because of it.”

Griffin wasn’t available to comment after his MRI exam. But before he left the stadium, he vowed to return to full strength.

“I’ll make sure I come back healthy from it,” he said.