It only took four months and hundreds of stories, but we finally read a negative comment on Robert Griffin III’s personality. While this led to a rather defensive Twitter session for Redskins fans, it’s nothing short of amazing that Griffin escaped unharmed until now — a week before the draft. For the record, in numerous conversations with scouts, evaluators and draft experts, none has questioned his character. From the first conversations about him in early October until now, the refrain has been the same: high-character guy.
So take it for what it’s worth. But an anonymous scout told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Griffin has “a bit of a selfish streak, too. Everybody was laying on Cam [Newton], but for some reason this guy has become gloves off. He doesn’t treat anybody good.” The paper said “another scout also questioned the way Griffin deals with people.”
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And there you go. That was enough to cause some angst, but it’s not enough for anyone to be remotely concerned. A selfish streak is not enough to raise a red flag. Don’t forget: Michael Jordan wasn’t always well-liked by his teammates.
“I didn’t see the report, and I haven’t seen any of those red flags,” NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said. “Now, I was only around the kid at the combine and his pro day — I spent some time with him in both situations — but I can speak much more adequately to what I’ve seen on tape.
“On tape, his character shows in his ability to win games, and [it showed] in the way his teammates rallied around him at his pro day. He has a naturally charismatic personality that will draw people to him. Wide receivers are already lining up to play in Washington with him.”
Maybe some of it is true. We’ll find out soon enough. But if he plays the way he did at Baylor, it’s doubtful anyone will really care.
“Everybody’s going to try and find something wrong with you, so I’m not going to sit here and argue that, well, that guy is dead wrong,” Griffin told CBSSports.com. “The people that know me know I’m not a selfish guy. You know you don’t have to fight your own battles — let other people fight them for you.”
Griffin doesn’t need to worry about having people to fight for him. A whole fan base did just that Thursday.
– John Keim
