Despite spraining his right knee a month ago, injured Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was determined to play in yesterday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. He wound up badly twisting his injured knee and was pulled out of the game. Redskins coach Mike Shanahan is facing criticism for playing Griffin in the first place, but today, Griffin defended Shanahan’s decision with a military metaphor, likening a football game to a battle.
Some of Griffin’s fans thought it was a suitable analogy:
Good lord people, @RGIII was obviously using battle as a metaphor. Try being less annoying.
— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) January 7, 2013
stop criticizing RGIII for using a war analogy, jeez people, too effing sensitive. Leave that man be, clearly he wasnt trivializing "war"
— DukeBlog (@Dukeblogger) January 7, 2013
But for most followers, it didn’t seem to go over terribly well. Griffin is now facing plenty of criticism of his own:
Love you man, but you weren't in battle. MT @RGIII Many may question, criticize… But few have been in the line of fire in battle.
— jon gabriel (@exjon) January 7, 2013
@ExJon Thank you. I am so sick of people and sports players comparing a game to war. Or calling them heroes for a game @melissabhays @RGIII
— Kent (2 of 5) (@kent_vig) January 7, 2013
Sorry, @RGIII, you haven't "been in the line of fire in battle." You play football. #fb
— Sandy (@npssandy) January 7, 2013
https://twitter.com/LETTmeTOUCHit/status/288324303609540608
@RGIII really? What about us that have, should we just say nothing
— Warren Sapp (@WarrenSapp) January 7, 2013
@WarrenSapp @RGIII maybe you should rethink lines if fire in battle…. real battle is nothing like playing a sport. #TroopsAreInRealBattle.
— Derek Sanchez (@TXDoctorDerek) January 7, 2013
Stfu RT @RGIII: Many may question, criticize & think they have all the right answers. But few have been in the line of fire in battle.
— Arch Duke of Pan-Africanism (@WikipediaJah) January 7, 2013
https://twitter.com/king_by_nature/status/288325138229915648
@WarrenSapp @RGIII a real battlefield and true line of fire, Football is not! It after all truly is a game, not life and death.
— KCM (@kcmadron) January 7, 2013
https://twitter.com/jsknapton/status/288325019585622016
@RGIII wow, i didnt know you served in the armed forces. Whats that? oh, you play football for a living. #whatajoke #disrespectful
— PatrickSBrown (@PatrickSBrown) January 7, 2013
@RGIII hell of n athlete,but stop with the battle n line of fire talk.U were playin a game.Let soldiers speak about battle.Speedy recovery.
— T (@ct12_1) January 7, 2013
@RGIII must've missed that line on your resume that said you were a war veteran
— M Savino (@Savino36) January 7, 2013
https://twitter.com/KingPhilip4/status/288324907610279936
https://twitter.com/king_by_nature/status/288324834222563328
@RGIII it's a game. You've never been in the line of fire or a battle in your life. #GrowUp
— Adam (@HoosierSince85) January 7, 2013
https://twitter.com/PhilKeebler/status/288325388558536704
Athletes and war analogies are both ridiculous and stupid #youdidntgotobattle MT @RGIII: few have been in the line of fire in battle.
— Doc Mackey (@Doc_Mackey) January 7, 2013
https://twitter.com/leila_gardner/status/288325630079152128
Evidently, Griffin wasn’t too keen on the backlash. He’s blocked at least one Twitterer:
https://twitter.com/LoganDobson/status/288325397022646273
https://twitter.com/LoganDobson/status/288326273326018561
Not very sportsmanlike, is it?
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