Baylor Star Robert Griffin Tears ACL - Out For The Season

It’s a tragedy played out far too often in college and pro football – superstars suffering season-ending knee injuries. And so it is that Robert Griffin, the Baylor Bears star QB, has torn his ACL and has had season-ending surgery. Griffin will receive a medical redshirt and will have three years of eligibility remaining. But this story goes beyond just football and a quarterback losing a season. Griffin had other aspirations outside of football that may or may not ever play out after this injury.

A Star In Two Sports

Robert Griffin had aspirations of being an Olympic champion, and narrowly missed qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in the 400 meter hurdles by a nose. Robert always loved football, but it was no mystery that this gifted runner always had his Olympic dreams fresh in his mind. This year, as a show of dedication to Baylor’s football program, Griffin agreed to set aside his running aspirations and skipped the track and field season to focus on football. He wanted to show his coach and teammates that he believed in Baylor Football, and that he was dedicated to raising their status in the Lone Star State, and in the Big 12.

Baylor hasn’t been to a bowl game since 1994, but that was likely about to change. With a 3-2 record and a weak Iowa State team next on the schedule, Baylor was on track, although by the slimmest of margins, to break that streak and qualify for their first bowl game in 18 years. And then it happened. During a blowout victory over Northwestern State, Griffin tore his ACL. In a previous post I’d written about Griffin, I questioned whether or not he was truly going to focus on playing quarterback from this point on, or was he sacrificing one year of running track to appease his coaches and teammates, only to re-dedicate himself to his running in time for the next Olympics, which happened to fall in the same year he was to become eligible for the NFL draft?

Will He Ever Fully Recover?

Even with world-class talent, it's nearly impossible for anyone to perform two different sports that require two completely different training regiments at a world-class level. It appeared that eventually Griffin was going to have to focus on one sport or the other, and now it's uncertain if the Olympic dream is even a possibility anymore. I've never torn an ACL so I don't know if he will ever be able to recover 100% of his previous world-class speed, but I'd have to say it seems highly unlikely. He will, however, be able to play football again, and presumably at the same level that he was capable of before. He may lose a tenth off his 40 yard dash time, but that won't affect the level of his play at quarterback very much. It would, however, end his Olympic dream entirely.

Renewed Hope, Renewed Focus

On the bright side, this tragedy may indeed lead to a triumphant ending. If his Olympic dreams were to come to an end, he would likely focus 100% on football, and the raw talents of this incredible athlete would become more polished. If so, he might just help the Baylor Bears faithful realize their dreams of being a real contender in the Big 12 someday and start a run of consistent appearances in bowl games, not to mention giving himself a shot at the NFL. But for now, all anyone can do is sit and wait, hoping one of the remaining quarterbacks can salvage this season for Baylor, while Griffin recovers and rehabs for next year.

It’s painful to watch these young guys get their seasons, all of their hard work, and in this case possibly even their life-long dreams outside of football get taken away from them in one unfortunate moment that nobody can do anything about. Life has a way of changing our plans in an instant, and that applies to all of us, not just the athletes amongst us. A dream as big as the Olympics can never be replaced, and if indeed his Olympic dream is vanquished, it will forever leave a void in Griffin’s life, an asterisk next to his accomplishments, and an empty feeling in his stomach every time he ponders what could have been. But there’s always a silver lining, and in this case Robert Griffin may just find that it’s more than just a slim ray of hope. It may lead to a fantastic career at Baylor, a great NFL career, and a long list of accomplishments both in athletics, and throughout the rest of his life.

Back in the day, when I was 19, I lost my dad. We were close, and It has indeed forever left a void in my life. But I was determined immediately to make sure that it always made me stronger, it always made me appreciate what I have, and that I would fight to fill that void in other meaningful ways – and for 19 years I’ve managed to do just that. The fight will never end – the void can never be filled – a father can not be replaced. In this case it may be no different for Griffin. He may have no choice but to accept his fate, fight on with renewed appreciation and focus, and accomplish great things he may not otherwise have ever accomplished. Nothing can ever make up for the loss of something at the core of who you are like a life-long dream of running in the Olympics, but in the end, what choice does one have other than to fight on harder than ever? None.

So here’s to Robert Griffin and the hope that we see him runnin’ wild in the Big 12 next year, bringing Baylor to a level they haven’t seen in almost two decades, and keeping his own dreams alive out there on the gridiron.