RG3: Players are concerned about Thursday Night Football

Thursday Night Football is a highly sought-after television package thanks to its prime advertising airtime, but Robert Griffin III isn't sure that players feel

Thursday Night Football is a highly sought-after television package thanks to its prime advertising airtime, but Robert Griffin III isn't sure that players feel it's the best choice for the NFL.

"There are a lot of players out there who feel like there's not enough days in the week for us to be playing on Thursdays," Griffin told the Hollywood Reporter. "It's something that the NFL is going to have to address to keep players safe while also trying to maximize revenue."

Thursday night games mean a team must make a quick turnaround after playing on Sunday, which has led to questions about whether it makes players more susceptible to injury. The NFL has said the injury rate for Thursday games is not greater than the one on Saturday, Sunday or Monday, but George Atallah of the NFL Players Association countered by saying there's no comprehensive data set yet for those numbers. 

Griffin said the flip side to a quick turnaround is having extra time off after a Thursday night game, which is something a team can take advantage of.

"At the same time, when we get those games on Sunday and Thursday, then we're off for an extended period of time," he said. "Sometimes we look at it as an extra bye week."

After spending its first several years of existence on the NFL Network, Thursday Night Football will be moving to CBS this season. The station was awarded the eight-game package by the NFL after a $275 million bid.

- Jack Jorgensen