The ESPN tenure of former Washington Commanders quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III came to an abrupt end when he was fired by the network on Aug. 15, according to an article by The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.
Three years ago, Griffin III was a rising star at the network and still had two years remaining on a contract that reportedly paid him seven figures. He was one of two high-profile ESPN personalities fired, along with “Sunday NFL Countdown” host Samantha Ponder, who had been with the network since 2011.
Griffin III was originally part of the network’s college football coverage and had been promoted to part of the “Monday Night Countdown” crew for the last two years.
“Since Griffin’s stock had fallen, it made him a prime candidate to be let go,” Marchand wrote. “While his seven-figure per year salary will be honored, his role had diminished to a point where ESPN decided to not keep him on. The first real sign Griffin was being dropped in the order was when he was removed from ‘Monday Night Countdown,’ where he had been on the prime pregame show for two years. ESPN hired Jason Kelce this offseason to replace Griffin.”
Griffin had two years remaining on a contract that reportedly paid him upwards of $1 million per year.
He seemed to reference the career shift in a post on his official X account, where he shared a clip from the 1995 comedy “Friday” in which Ice Cube’s character’s father, played by the late John Witherspoon, famously asks his son: “How you gonna get fired … on your day off?”
Redskins-Saints 2012: Robert Griffin III’s debut!
Griffin completed 19 of 26 passes for 320 yards & 2 TDs, also added 42 rushing yards!
#Redskins won the game 40-32
Griffin III: Awkward Sexual Innuendo on Broadcasts
Griffin III’s short time with ESPN will likely be remembered for its awkward moments — usually centered around the former quarterback trying to work sexual innuendo into football broadcasts.
During a Washington-Michigan State game in 2022, Griffin III said Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had “Big Penix Energy” then after Michigan State center Nick Samac was called for a false start, Griffin III labeled the play “premature snapulation” to the nationwide audience.
There were other incidents.
After Michigan’s Alex Orji scored a touchdown in a 2022 game, Griffin III used a sexual term to reference the score. He also made reference to a rumor about former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson during another broadcast.
Griffin III All-Time NFL Draft Bust for Commanders
After Griffin III was drafted by Washington with the No. 2 overall pick out of Baylor in the 2012 NFL draft, he was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler in his first season as he led Washington into the NFC Playoffs but tore his ACL and LCL in a Wild Card loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Griffin III was never the same after the injury and went 14-21 as the starter over four seasons before he was released, including a bizarre stretch at the end where he was reportedly practicing as a safety on the scout team.
Griffin III got another chance as a starter with the Cleveland Browns in 2016 but went 1-4 to start the season before he injured his shoulder. He followed that with three seasons as a backup with the Baltimore Ravens then was out of the NFL for good, finishing his career with a 16-26 record as a starter.
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ESPN Fires Former Washington QB, No. 2 Overall Pick