Robert Griffin III-Jay Gruden feud enters Day 4, not getting any less sad

What do you get when you combine two somewhat well-known NFL figures who are each trying to carve out a media career? In the case of Robert Griffin III and Jay Gruden, it was an online feud with no winners.

The former Washington Commanders head coach and starting quarterback started relitigating a very specific period in team history on Monday, with tweets still coming in from both sides as of Thursday night.

In case you need a refresher, Gruden was the Commanders head coach from 2014 to 2019, a period of time that saw the team transition from the oft-injured Griffin as starting quarterback to Kirk Cousins. Their time together time saw dysfunction that seemingly only Washington was capable of during the Dan Snyder years (a refresher is available here).

Few would have guessed the two were on great terms, but the dirty laundry was thrown with unusual vigor, and it all started with a simple tweet about the Philadelphia Eagles.

Gruden started things off by offering an apology to any quarterback he subjected to a night like that of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was repeatedly pressured in a 32-9 loss.

Less than a half-hour later, Griffin jumped in.

Gruden responded by questioning if he really didn’t prepare Griffin for pass rushes, at which point Griffin tried to go for the kill by saying the coach had told him he didn’t know how to coach a dual-threat quarterback like him.

Gruden didn’t respond until the next morning, seemingly conceding that he wasn’t right for Griffin, blaming his coaching staff and sending a well wish.

That could have been the end of it. That seemed like the end of it. That wasn’t the end of it.

At this point, we should note where the respective men are in their careers. Griffin retired from the NFL after spending his post-Washington career as a back-up and has worked mostly as a talking head at ESPN. He has also worked as a color commentator and podcaster with his “RG3 And The Ones” show.

Gruden was fired during the 2019 season and has since worked as the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars and a consultant for the Los Angeles Rams, with both stints lasting a single season. He now seems to spend most of his time making appearances with an outlet called The 33rd Team and on his “Taking The Points Show” podcast.

Anyway, Griffin reawakened the feud with a clip from his podcast going through a past incident with the coach. Griffin accused Gruden of pushing him into a news conference in which the quarterback subtly criticized his teammates, then threw him under the bus a day later.

Gruden didn’t seem to appreciate the accusation.

His podcast then promised this feud would see a fifth day.

It’s hard to imagine anything being said that makes these guys look any better. Both of them exited Washington with their reputations at an all-time low and they are, for some reason, bringing all of it back up a good eight years later.

Well, actually, we know the reason.

There is clearly personal animosity between these two, but we’re also seeing the result of media ambition in the modern world, where winning the fight matters less than making sure people are paying attention. Gruden has even poked Griffin before on a tweet about Deion Sanders.

If you just like a good mess, this is probably fine content for you. Otherwise, there are many other ways to enjoy your day.