Four months after his dramatic firing from ESPN, former NFL star Robert Griffin III insisted it’s all water under the bridge.
The 34-year-old Griffin was fired by the channel in August after signing a multi-year contract in 2021. He was replaced by Jason Kelce as ESPN’s cohost Countdown on Monday evening at the start of the 2024 NFL season.
In an exclusive interview with We weeklyGriffin explained how he turned the public ordeal into a private lesson.
“There’s no bad blood for me,” said Griffin, who spoke to us through his partnership with USAA ahead of the Army-Navy football game on Saturday, Dec. 14. “Listen, at the end of the day, the reception after what happened from the fans showed me that I did it the right way, that I told the players’ stories the right way.”
Griffin also said his former cohosts — Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark And Marcus Spears all remained on board after his departure – expressed their gratitude as he went out.
“My teammates and their reaction let me know I was a good teammate for them,” Griffin boasted. “And that’s all you can do.”
During his tenure at ESPN, Griffin also served as a color commentator for the network’s college football coverage.
“You don’t get these opportunities, you know?” said Griffin. “You have to earn these opportunities. I am grateful to ESPN for giving me the opportunity to showcase my skills in the booth calling games, as well as in the studio on Countdown on Monday evening. It’s something I never take for granted.”
Looking ahead, Griffin will be part of Netflix’s first NFL coverage on Christmas Day. On Monday, December 9, he was announced as a member of the streamer’s massive broadcast team – which also includes names like Drew Brees, JJ Watt And Kay Adams — getting fans ready for the holiday doubleheader of Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans.
Before he takes his talents to Netflix, however, Griffin is teaming up with USAA to honor local military and veteran families ahead of Saturday’s Army-Navy game at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, home of the Washington Commanders, for whom Griffin played before.
Griffin helped mentor and coach nearly 100 military children and caregivers from the Elizabeth Dole Foundation during a first-ever family soccer camp at the Prince George Sports Complex on Wednesday, December 11.
Jason Kelce is coming to conquer late-night TV, on his own terms. They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce premieres Jan. 3 on ESPN, and the former Philadelphia Eagles star, 37, came to the table with a very specific request for the show. “‘I want to have a live band with horns,'” NFL Films’ […]
On Friday, December 13, Griffin will help donate two retrofitted vehicles to local deserving military families in need of reliable transportation – one Army family and one Navy family – during a ceremony presenting the families with the cars.
For Griffin – whose parents both served as sergeants in the U.S. Army – the collaboration was a no-brainer.
“That’s a special bond that military brats and families have because they understand the sacrifice,” Griffin explained. “To be able to work with USAA on the backdrop of Northwest Stadium, where I have made many football memories in the DC area, giving back to kids means the world to me.”
Griffin added: “To make an impact in that area for these people in their lives, for me, that lasts forever. It’s one thing to say, ‘I’ll do all this, I’ll do all that,’ but it’s another thing to actually go out and do it.