USA Today interviewed Robert Griffin III’s father, Robert Griffin Jr. on the incendiary comments made by ESPN’s Rob Parker. The father’s answer:
Robert Griffin II said he isn’t taking offense with disparaging racial comments made by an ESPN First Take commentator Thursday, because “it’s not going to benefit” anyone.
[. . .]
Griffin II said his next steps were to dismiss Parker’s remarks.
“He needs to define what ‘one of us’ is. That guy needs to define that,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s racism. I would just say some people put things out there about people so they can stir things up.
“Robert is in really good shape on who he is, where he needs to get to in order to seek the goals he has in life … so I don’t take offense.”
I wonder if Rob Parker will now question RGII’s blackness?
And there’s no secret why RGIII is the man he is today. This profile of his father in 2011 in the Military Times is a great read. An excerpt:
Just about any dad who’s taught a son how to throw a pass has secretly harbored dreams of gridiron glory.
Griffin says if you’re serious about your kid’s success, both in the classroom and on the field, his secret is simple.
“Get involved with your child. Spend more time with them,” he says. “Don’t let your kids be raised by the television. Take time to work with your children to show them wisdom.
“That’s what I do even now. I showed him people who had tremendous talent, but lost it making poor decisions. That keeps them humble.”
That’s one of the reasons he’s spending time right now researching Heisman winners who did not go on to do well professionally, so that he can help his son explore the common pitfalls.
Meanwhile, he says, developing strength of character is just as important as developing a strong body.
As he continues to train military kids at Fort Hood, he says “we don’t measure success by medals, or by how fast they run or how high they jump. We measure in character-building. You can’t measure that at the end of a stopwatch.”
Maybe Rob Parker should sit down with RGII when this is all said and done and maybe get some advice to turn his career around.