Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Sports
Sports

RG III Excited About New Coach Jay Gruden‚ Ready to Work

Posted byBy Curtis Bunn | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
Photo by The Associated Press.

Photo by The Associated Press.

With Mike Shanahan dismissed and first-time head coach Jay Gruden in to lead the Washington Redskins, quarterback Robert Griffin III says he’s ready to go and grow.

Griffin attended the Baylor bowl game and went on vacation in Hawaii to avoid any involvement in the team’s coaching search. Gruden, the offensive coordinator for Cincinnati, got the job, which was received to mixed reviews in D.C. Griffin, who has been depicted in the Washington press as a spoiled star, said he’s on board.

According to The Washington Post, Griffin said, “Excited, man. Can’t wait to get to work. Key takeaways: excited to get this thing going, get better together, have fun, win.”

Griffin was not nearly as sharp after missing the entire preseason recovering from surgery on a torn ACL . It did not help that his offensive line failed him much of the time. The team went 3-13 and Shanahan benched him for the last three games, purportedly to protect him from injury.

Meanwhile, backup Kirk Cousins was the starter and many thought a quarterback controversy would brew if Cousins flourished. But he tanked.

Gruden committed to Griffin as his starting quarterback.

“I see a ton of talent,” Gruden said at his introductory press conference. “I see a guy that can run, I see a guy that can maneuver in the pocket, I see accuracy, I see long-ball accuracy, I see toughness, I see a guy that wants to win and I see a strong leader. I see every trait that a quarterback has to have to be successful. I see Robert having all of those, so why wouldn’t you want to coach a guy like that? So I’m excited to coach him.”

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top