If you don’t like Robert Griffin III it’s probably because you got sick of him appearing on SportsCenter everyday last season. RG3 developed into the Jessica Simpson of sports- lots of publicity, few accomplishments. However, you can’t blame Robert Griffin III. Just like you can’t blame Jessica Simpson. They great PR machines on their side- good for them.
So, not RG3’s fault; don’t blame him.
Sunday morning NFL talking heads, don’t usually enlighten. However, CBS Sports’ Fred Smoot totally nailed it. He summated Robert Griffin III and how his star turn has become off-putting perfectly.
“We know one thing about Robert Griffin III – he’s a bad politician. The public perception of this guy, what he tries to personify and what he put out there with ‘I’m chasing the brand.’
Let me tell you something RGIII, you’re a quarterback. You don’t have to chase a brand. You’re a walking brand. Linebackers, cornerbacks, we have to make a brand for ourselves. He doesn’t have to do that. And I think he loses a little bit of the locker room when he goes out of his way to do those things.”
He’s right. Just ask Deion Sanders. Prime Time admitted in his autobiography that he had to create the flamboyant persona in order to make that kind of money, because in his day CBs did not receive those exorbitant salaries. Indeed Robert Griffin III plays the position where he really doesn’t have to hard sell us. So we’re cool with him being less corporate, and not answering every question as if it had been tested on a focus group first.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2