The Houston Texans annihilated the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL Wild Card playoff game on Saturday and one of the main reasons was Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert.
Herbert, who threw just three interceptions throughout the regular season, inexplicably threw four picks – including one returned for a touchdown – against Houston, helping end the Chargers’ season.
Naturally, Herbert is criticized for his terrible performance. But not enough for Robert Griffin III’s taste.
RGIII thinks Herbert won’t get enough criticism because, you guessed it, Herbert is white. Griffin suggested that white quarterback Herbert won’t receive the same heat as black quarterbacks like Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson if he fails in the playoffs.
A fairly clear and unsurprising implication from Griffin.
OutKick founder Clay Travis immediately recognized the point Griffin was trying to make and noted that it’s a comment like this that makes most Americans ignore the incessant racial harassment in sports media .
It really is as “unbearable” as Travis notes. Does everything have to collapse along racial lines?
And what about Mike Tomlin? The Steelers were embarrassed for the majority of their Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens. Tomlin hasn’t won an NFL playoff game since 2016, when the Steelers had Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown.
Is Griffin worried that the “national media” won’t criticize Tomlin? If he’s worried about it, he certainly hasn’t expressed that opinion.
Robert Griffin III (RGIII) played the race card regarding Justin Herbert after the Chargers’ playoff loss and OutKick founder Clay Travis wasn’t having it.
(Imagn Images and Getty Images)
UPDATE: After this article was published, RGIII wrote an article on X about Mike Tomlin. It’s unclear whether the OutKick article or Travis’ response prompted Griffin to change his mind.
Perhaps the most incendiary part of Griffin’s message is that he is already creating the narrative before it happens. This helps create a “self-fulfilling prophecy” that is the livelihood of those who play the race card at every opportunity.
Which is why, now that the Bills and Ravens are set to meet in the divisional cycle, be prepared for a flurry of racial chatter surrounding Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
It’s going to be a long week.
