Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III had an amazing rookie year in 2012, but then had a disappointing sophomore slump last season due to his recovery from his torn ACL. He is looking to rebound this year with the addition of new weapons on offense such as Andre Roberts of the Arizona Cardinals and just recently DeSean Jackson from the Philadelphia Eagles. As for his past, RG3 is the son of military parents, who moved from Japan, to Washington state, to New Orleans and then settled in Copperas Cove, Texas. While at Baylor, RG3 set records and became the first player from that university to win the Heisman. Griffin earned his bachelor’s degree in three years, finishing with a 3.67 GPA in political science and then got his masters in communications. God has entrusted him with a unique combination of outstanding intellect and world-class speed. And he has been an excellent steward of his gifts. Here’s what he has to say about being a Christian:
“I was heavily influenced by my parents to learn discipline,” he said. “But my relationship with God was my most important influence. I’ve been in the church since I was 7. My parents didn’t push it on us but they made sure we grew up in the church, so that’s all we know, that’s what we do.” (Credit: gospellightminute.wordpress.com)
Being the starting quarterback puts a lot of pressure on a young man like RG3. He knows that God is with him to handle the pressure and any other kind of adversity that comes along with it. He also knows that being on a big stage allows you to represent God rather than yourself.
“God gives you the stage to make a difference and not to just talk about yourself, but lift Him up,” he said. “There are a lot of different types of Christians everywhere, but my biggest thing is it’s not our job to judge; it’s just our job to go out, praise Him, let people know what He’s doing, and let people follow if they want to. So I praise God, I thank him for everything. Purposefully, you live every day for Him, and when He gives you the opportunity to speak up for Him or to do something in His name, you do it.”
As a huge Redskins fan, RG3 is one of my favorite players. He is such an explosive athlete on the field and he is always looking to help the local D.C. community along with other great Redskins players. Last year, Griffin helped raise a grand total of $400,000 for cancer research. That’s just one example of what kind of charitable work he does, but the point I’m trying to make is that there are few guys in the NFL that young kids can look up to and be inspired by. Luckily, RG3 is one of those few.
The Basket Foot 