Former No. 2 overall pick and 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year, Robert Griffin III showed some real promise in his post NFL career.
The former Heisman Trophy winner hit the road running as an analyst on ESPN. Griffin was so good that in 2022 the network even made him a part of their “Monday Night Football” coverage. In May it was announced that Griffin would be replaced in that role by the recently retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
Maybe that was the writing on the wall for the can’t-miss product in the booth, whose audition for the position is considered one of the best the network has seen.
RG3 Out At ESPN
Fast-forward three months later, and surprisingly Griffin is out completely at the network. On Thursday, ESPN announced that he and Samantha Ponder had both been fired in a cost-cutting move. Both reportedly raked in seven-figure salaries, and the move closes out the fiscal year.
Money Not Only Reason For Firing. FSU Connection Likely Played A Role
The Florida State Seminoles with a 13-0 record were left out of the College Football Playoff last season. That didn’t sit well with many football analysts and Griffin is one of those folks. The former dynamic dual-threat recently ranted on X about FSU’s College Playoff snub.
“Anyone who is throwing shade at or trying to take cheap shots at Florida State for being left out of the College Football Playoff last year must be out of touch with reality. FSU wasn’t a team that was left out because they lost a game down the stretch. They are a team that were kept out because their starting quarterback fractured his ankle. THAT’S NOT SOMETHING TO MAKE LIGHT OF.”
RG3 and Paul Finebaum Had Beef?
Griffin’s comments, while not directed at anyone in particular, ignited a quick response from ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum, who’s also known as the “mouth of the South.” Finebaum even took things further, proclaiming that the Seminoles have cried way too long, and 2024 will end with them not qualifying for the playoffs and finishing the season unranked. WOW.
Griffin’s rant in some ways could’ve been taken as a shot at his employer, who definitely plays a role in what the committee ultimately decides.
The network has held exclusive right to the semifinals and championship game since the inception of the format in 2014.
Guilty By Association?
Griffin’s wife Grete is a former FSU track and field star who’s provided unwavering support of her alma mater in the aftermath of being left of last season’s festivities despite being an undefeated Power Five champion. As for the aforementioned Ponder, the now-former host of “NFL Countdown” is the wife of former Seminoles signal-caller and former NFL first-round pick Christian Ponder.
Griffin’s Fallout Was Quick
Not long ago Griffin was considered a rising superstar in the business, but over the past year his stock seemingly plummeted. Prior to his joining ESPN, he also had Fox Sports beating down his door in hopes of adding him to their network. Now, three years later, he’s a free agent, they’re saying it’s about money, but the coincidence with firing him and Ponder makes that hard to believe.
