Years after seriously injuring his knee during an NFL playoff game, former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III is ready to tell his story in a new memoir, titled Surviving Washington.
The book by the onetime face of the franchise has the potential to be explosive. It will detail “the medical mismanagement he suffered, the toxic environment and sexual harassment he witnessed, and the power struggles within [the team]” and discuss the game that he says “changed his career forever,” according to a press release from his publisher, the Simon and Schuster imprint Atria Books.
The quarterback known as RGIII was a short-lived sensation after being drafted in the first round and hailed as the savior of the struggling team, owned then and now by Daniel Snyder. But after some magical early performances, he was injured and was never quite the same.
Griffin suffered from a LCL and ACL tear in his right knee during a home playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2013. Despite his apparent injury, he was put back into the game and continued to play until his knee gave out in the fourth quarter. During the remainder of his time with the franchise now known as the Washington Football Team, Griffin also dislocated his ankle and had a concussion while on the field.
In the 10 years since Griffin was drafted, the former Beltway sensation says that he’s learned countless lessons about being a husband, father, and quarterback, but he has also reflected on the culture of the team.
“Time has also allowed me to reflect on my experiences in Washington, how I was treated and the culture that permeated within the walls of that building, Griffin said in a press statement. “With the team’s recent dysfunction and toxic culture being exposed more and more every day, I knew it was time to share what I saw, experienced, and endured. They say the truth will set you free—so here it is, unfiltered.”
After stints with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, Griffin signed on earlier this year as an analyst for ESPN. The book, which is co-written by longtime NFL reporter Gary Myers, is slated to be release in August 2022.
Before becoming Research Editor, Damare Baker was an Editorial Fellow and Assistant Editor for Washingtonian. She has previously written for Voice of America and The Hill. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied international relations, Korean, and journalism.
