Commander Country

Robert Griffin III vs. Jay Gruden: Washington Beef Resurfaced?

Former Washington Commanders quarterback Robert Griffin III and coach Jay Gruden are locked in a years-long beef.

Tim Kelly

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As the Washington Commanders fully embrace new owner Josh Harris and try to leave the darkest chapter of their franchise's history in the rearview mirror, remnants of the Daniel Snyder Era continue to pop up. 

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The latest comes in the form of a multi-day feud on X -- the social media platform formerly known as Twitter -- between former quarterback Robert Griffin III and coach Jay Gruden. 

It all started Monday evening, when Gruden -- who coached the franchise now known as the Commanders from 2014-2019 -- criticized the position that the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff had put quarterback Jalen Hurts in during their playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Griffin -- who played under Gruden for only one of his three seasons with the Washington franchise -- responded, and the two really haven't stopped since. 

Gruden was an offensive consultant for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, but hasn't been a full-time coach since the 2020 season, when he was the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Griffin last played in the NFL in 2020, with the Baltimore Ravens. He's now an ESPN analyst, who is a pretty prolific poster on social media. And so, with quite a bit of time on their hands, Gruden and Griffin got into a beef that quickly became very personal. 

Griffin, though, wasn't content to let things stop there and exchange pleasantries with his former coach. Instead, he took a deeper dive into the history between he and Gruden, pouring lighter fluid on a fire that had been close to going out. 

Gruden initially had another message for Griffin, which he took down for an unknown reason. Without context, it seems harsh. But in midst of this beef, it was probably fair game. 

The good news for those of you who don't have Friday evening plans is that it appears now that Gruden is really invested in this, he's going to make sure it keeps going. 

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Frankly, the much more interesting feud would have been between Griffin and Mike Shanahan. With the 71-year-old unlikely to join social media anytime soon, this is what we're left to settle for. 

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Tim Kelly
TIM KELLY

Tim Kelly is a contributor to SI's team sites. Additionally, Kelly covers the Philadelphia Phillies as the Editorial Director for PhilliesNation.com. Previously, Kelly has been a producer at SportsRadio 94 WIP and a content producer for Audacy Sports, with written content syndicated to WIP, WFAN, WEEI and some of the biggest sports radio stations in the country. Kelly also has previously written for SportsTalkPhilly.com and Section 215, FanSided's Philadelphia affiliate. Kelly is a 2018 graduate of Bloomsburg University, with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in political science. 

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