Juneteenth was celebrated across the country and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III took to Twitter to celebrate the freedom that Blacks in America finally gained.
“Happy Juneteenth everybody ! The ancestors who waited for freedom in Galveston didn’t dream of new chains, they dreamed their descendants could one day truly be free to live, love and celebrate life without permission. My family is living proof of that freedom. A proud Black man, his Estonian queen, and our four beautiful daughters. A family built on love not division or separation. If a picture of our family on Juneteenth makes you angry, maybe you have forgotten a massive piece of what our ancestors fought for. They fought for the freedom for all of us to love, build, and celebrate without division. I’m choosing gratitude over grievance, legacy over division, and the full freedom they bled for. Whether your family looks like mine or nothing like it, if you’re celebrating real freedom today instead of policing it then I’m with you. God is good. Let’s keep building.”
What Is Juneteenth?
It’s a federal holiday on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the former Confederacy. Juneteenth, short for “June Nineteenth,” marks the day June 19, 1865, when Union Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and announced that all enslaved African-Americans in the state were free. The state had kept the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, a secret while they continued to treat Blacks as free labor. This event effectively ended slavery in the last Confederate state where it persisted.
Griffin is, of course, married to a white European woman named Grete, and they have a beautiful family of four daughters. He’s often at the center of controversy while discussing race and his engagement farming is among the best in the business. He uses his interracial family as his calling card to agitate racists and incite people who feel he is “selling out” and spreading a dangerous message.
Fans React To RGIII’s Message
“Why is he making a statement about people being angry? Was that his intention?” one confused fan said.
“Our ancestors didn’t fight for this bullsh-t. They fought for freedom from your wife’s ancestors. Y’know, the same people that hung, killed, and raped them. Please stfu,” another fan commented on X under the post.
“Freedom to you is wifing a white woman and making mixed babies Have some shame man. You’re not going to pity party your way of this when you decided to play in snow and procreate in it. Idk why yall are so cliche. We do not see the Black pride and legacy you speak of,” one netizen said.
“Nah, I don’t think this is what this is the freedom our ancestors fought for lol,” another user commented.
“your ancestors would whoop your ass. don’t piss them off today. i hope they get you in your sleep,” another critic declared.
“We get it she’s white. Boy that state of Texas definitely produces some “special ed” ones. White ice isn’t colder it eventually melts the same dude,” a user quipped.
“In what world would enslaved Black people dream of their descendants turning their bloodlines white?” said another.
Then there were the shots by anti-Black folk.
“Your ancestors didn’t ‘fight’ for anything, they ‘waited for freedom’ just like you said. They waited for someone to tell them ‘you’re free now’, because they were all 70 IQ morons, just like you,” someone said.
“Not everything is about your white wife my dude the confusion lies in the fact that we all thought you moved beyond race. Your not ‘Blāck’ your RG3,” commented one user.
RG3 Defends Against Pushback For Political Stances
From re-posting a picture of Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese as a monkey on the cover of Y2K, that he attributed to someone else, or jumping into the fuel the fire of the racially-charged social media wars between Caitlin Clark and Reese, Griffin continues to engage online.
After being fired from ESPN as part of a massive talent overhaul, RG3 turned up on his social media platform giving his opinions on inflammatory subjects such as race and politics.
In 2025, RGIII pushed back those critics of his stances on these issues, shortly after receiving backlash for taking issue with ESPN’s discussion of the U.S. Department of Defense removing an article about Jackie Robinson’s military service.
Most people of color were outraged that the government would try to erase the heroics of men such as Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, in effect whitewashing history and attempting to erase the evil, oppressive history of this country and the heroes that gave their lives to allow him the so-called “freedoms” he enjoyed in his NFL career, as a dual-threat QB, and currently.
His comments sparked a heated debate, with many accusing him of aligning with right-wing ideologies. In response, Griffin doubled down, clarifying that his message was about keeping sports discussions focused on the game rather than pushing political agendas.
“Breaking the color barrier in baseball in itself is not political. Jesse Owens winning four Gold Medals was not political,” Griffin wrote, arguing that historical achievements should be acknowledged but not turned into political discourse on sports shows.
RG3 Blames Rob Parker For Misconception About Him
In an episode of his podcast in 2025, Griffin revisited a pivotal moment in his career 14 years ago when ESPN analyst Rob Parker questioned his racial identity on a “First Take” segment, suggesting that he might be a Republican for several reasons, including his relationships with white women. Parker was fired from the show for his comments, but Griffin says he never shook the label.
“It had nothing to do with sports. It had nothing to do with my performance on the field,” Griffin stated. “That single conversation has followed me throughout my professional career.”
But instead of running from it, Griffin leaned into all of these controversial issues concerning his lifestyle and views and his game is now engaged. So the response to his Juneteenth post is understandable.
