Robert Girffin III isn’t positive that his playing days are over, but he has already found his next job. The Heisman Trophy winner will join ESPN. According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, the network plans to use Griffin for both its college football and NFL coverage this season.
There has been a lot of buzz around RG3 this offseason. He auditioned for both ESPN and FOX earlier in the summer. Both networks liked what they saw and were said to be in a bidding war to sign Griffin.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, ESPN is giving Robert Griffin III the Tim Tebow treatment. At 31 years old, it is reasonable to believe that Griffin could still contribute to an NFL team. If that opportunity presents itself, there is a clause in Griffin’s contract that would allow him to pursue it.
It was likely not a factor in the decision, but adding Robert Griffin III comes at an advantageous time for ESPN. The Big 12 Conference remains a TV partner, but commissioner Bob Bowlsby has made it clear that he he blames ESPN for orchestrating the moves of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC.
Griffin won his Heisman Trophy at Baylor, a school that is still a member of the Big 12. If the network really is as high on him as reports suggest, it stands to reason that Griffin, and thus Big 12 football, will be given a prominent role on Saturdays.
