Robert Griffin III: ‘Huge Burden’ Off Commanders Players After Daniel Snyder Sale
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If you need an idea of how poorly the Daniel Snyder Era as owner of the Washington Commanders franchise went, Robert Griffin III was taken No. 2 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, won Offensive Rookie of the Year that same season and then was gone from the franchise after just three seasons.
And Griffin's brief success is considered one of the few highlights for the Commanders over the last quarter century.
So Griffin -- now an analyst at ESPN -- understands how momentous the agreement reportedly reached for Snyder to sell the team to Josh Harris is for the once proud franchise.
"I know it's a parade in my city right now," Griffin said in an appearance on NFL Live. "They are flooding the streets, excited about this sale of the team. Obviously, this hasn't gone through yet and there's still a process that they have to go through to make it official. But I think this will help to lift a dark cloud from the organization, [and] allow the players and coaches and everyone involved to truly put all of their focus in on only trying to win football games. And obviously, treating the people that work there they way they should be treated [becomes a priority].
"So that's where I come from as a player, it's a huge burden off of their shoulders. And for the fans, this is what they've been asking for and clamoring for for 10+ years."
Head coach Ron Rivera was a bit more diplomatic after reports of the sale agreement surfaced, but ultimately expressed some similar sentiments.
“It really seemed like a load was lifted, because everybody was on pins and needles for the last couple of months,” Rivera said via USA Today. “You kind of wondered what was going to happen ... Then we got right back to the draft meetings. We’ll still be business as usual.”
Snyder will get a hell of a going away present. The Associated Press reports that the group led by Harris will ultimately pay $6.05 billion to buy the Commanders from Snyder. When Snyder bought the team from Jack Kent Cooke in 1999, he paid "just" $750 million.
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