Goodbye Redskins: Robert Griffin, III cleans out locker after $35M for one season

Robert Griffin III is saying goodbye to the Washington Redskins.

Four years after signing a $21.1million four-year contract with the team, that came with a $13.8million signing bonus, Griffin was seen cleaning out his locker for the final time following the Redskins loss to the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday.

It was a difficult four years for Griffin, who after a stellar rookie season in during which he earned the nickname Superman faltered in his second year and was replaced by Kirk Cousins, never returning to his post as starting quarterback.

Griffin gave no interviews in the locker room on Sunday and left behind a Bible verse and a quote that is often attributed to Mother Theresa but is in fact a paraphrase of a poem called The Paradoxical Commandments by Kent M. Keith.

The Redskins revealed earlier this season they would be resigning Cousins, meaning that Griffin is on his way to a new home in the NFL, with many now wondering if he will be able to revive his once promising career.

Griffin was a superstar in his first season with the Redskins in 2012, leading the team to the NFC East title and being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

He also earned millions in endorsements before ever stepping foot on the field, from brands including Adidas, Gatorade and Subway.

He also managed to make headlines off the field after his rookie year when he became involved in a cheating scandal.

A Hooters waitress,  Meredith Barber, revealed text messages that Griffin had sent to her including a shirtless photo that the quarterback shared with the young lady on his wedding day.

Griffin married his college girlfriend Rebecca Liddicoat in July 2013.

Barber emailed Busted Coverage after they posted the text messages between the two asking that they take the story down and then offering to sell them ‘inappropriate’ pictures of Griffin, including one of his penis.

The site said they had no desire for a photo of Griffin’s penis but would pay her $500 for each of the other photos, a price the young woman scoffed at saying it was ‘no where near’ what she was looking for in exchange for the pictures.

What set Griffin apart from other quarterbacks was his ability to run, something that also led to injuries as a result of being tackled by opponents.

Despite being sidelined for almost all of the past two seasons and the final three games of his second season, Griffin was an amazing team player, showing up to all Redskins games and engaging with fans throughout the past few seasons.

‘We all know one thing about this game: Things change fast,’ former Redskins running back Clinton Portis told ESPN.

‘Robert did great things for the franchise and the city in 2012. But it’s Kirk’s team now. That’s just the way it is.’

Santana Moss, a former wide receiver with the team, said; ‘He’s going to get a second chance and he should get one.’

He later added; ‘That first year, man, Robert was a rock star. Then different things happened. But he can take all those things, learn from them and get better.

‘If Robert is like any of the best people in the history of this game, then he’ll use it all as motivation.

‘But you look at a lot of these quarterbacks out there, and you mean to tell me Robert ain’t gonna get another chance?’

Source: The DailyMail