I think I mention where I went to college a lot in these columns. I am a proud graduate of the University of Alabama. It should come as no surprise to you that I love Tua Tagovailoa. The Crimson Tide had good quarterbacks before him, but he was the first elite, modern quarterback we ever had. Football at Alabama was always great. He made it fun.
The 2022 NFL season has been hard to watch if you feel the way I do. At best, Tagovailoa’s health has been mismanaged. At worst, it has been neglected. When he entered concussion protocol for the second time this season after Miami’s Week 16 loss to Green Bay, someone needed to be loud. Robert Griffin III stepped up.
Griffin was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime type of talent. Washington used the second overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft on the Heisman Trophy winner and watched him run away with Offensive Rookie of the Year votes. Unfortunately, that rookie season was plagued with injuries and near misses.
Plenty of former players have stepped up this week to advocate for Tagvailoa. I still believe the main idea of “the new media” that Draymond Green and other players claim to be a part of is to allow these guys to avoid ever facing criticism, but in a moment like this, there is undeniably a good side to advocacy-driven analysis. These guys know the consequences of head trauma and other injuries better than any fan or their broadcast colleagues ever could. They have an obligation to speak up when necessary. It is just so rare that we have someone as ideal as Griffin in this position.
It makes all the sense in the world that he would take on the responsibility of making sure the public is aware of the grim worst-case scenario for Tua Tagovailoa right now. While the trauma to his ACL and LCL weren’t the end of Griffin’s playing career, the team’s incompetence, and frankly, its disregard for the long-term implications of rushing that injury back, are to blame for him never becoming the quarterback he was supposed to be.
Networks hire former players and coaches to use their experiences to explain their sport to laymen like us. Why is Tony Romo worth $17 million per year to CBS? Because he can tell a guy on his couch exactly what a quarterback missed before he threw the ball into double coverage. Why does FOX make concessions for Jimmy Johnson’s health and travel schedule? Because he can explain the decision-making process for a coach trying to maintain a championship standard. When it comes to the mismanagement of a potential franchise savior under center, ESPN has the right guy on its payroll.
That is good news for Tua Tagovailoa. It is great news for ESPN. Let’s not pretend like it isn’t also a good thing for Robert Griffin III. A guy can be in a unique position to do the right thing and still have it fall in line with his own agenda.
Remember that book he was planning to write? It was going to expose just how corrupt and nefarious Daniel Snyder and the people running the Washington Commanders are. For whatever reason, it got scrapped. We can all speculate why and certainly, people in Washington did.
Being the mouthpiece for the Save Tua movement puts Griffin in a position to keep his position on Snyder and company clear. I don’t blame him for it. He is doing nothing wrong. It is a happy coincidence that can sway public opinion in the appropriate direction.
I don’t have a problem admitting when I am wrong. I bought into Rob Parker’s “cornball brother” narrative about Robert Griffin III when he came into the NFL. He seemed like another athlete built by the Chick-Fil-A PR department. No thoughts, no real insight. Every question he was asked was met with an “I’m just happy to be here” and some quip about faith, family and football. Wash, rinse, and repeat.
His work on ESPN both on Monday Night Countdown and alongside Mark Jones on college football Saturdays has more than proven that Griffin is not Russell Wilson. He actually has something to say. The way he is speaking up for Tua Tagovailoa proves that he can do more than just entertain. He is a valuable voice right now in the football media.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
