Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III had his torn lateral collateral ligament repaired and a “redo” of his previous anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, Dr. James Andrews said Wednesday in a statement.
“We expect a full recovery and it is everybody’s hope and belief that due to Robert’s high motivation, he will be ready for the 2013 season,” Andrews said in the statement.
“The goal of his treatment is to give him the best opportunity for a long professional career,” he said.
Griffin’s torn ACL was diagnosed late Tuesday as a complete tear of the patella graft that was used to repair his torn ACL suffered at Baylor in 2009. A team source told ESPN Tuesday that Andrews was likely to use a patella graft from Griffin’s left knee to repair the most recent tear.
Griffin’s recovery is projected at six to eight months, barring any setbacks, sources said. The rehabilitation plan will focus primarily on strengthening Griffin’s quadriceps to help protect and help stabilize the knee, according to sources. The reconstruction of the LCL is considered a complication, but sources said Andrews informed the Redskins it should rehab well during the same six-to-eight-month time frame as the ACL injury.
Under this projected time frame of surgery, recovery and rehab, Griffin should be able to participate at some level during training camp in August and be ready to open the season in September, according to the sources.
Griffin thanked his fans for their support in a tweet Wednesday morning.
“Thank you for your prayers and support. I love God, my family, my team, the fans, & I love this game. See you guys next season,” he wrote.
The NFL Network reported that, after looking at the game file, coach Mike Shanahan believes Griffin suffered his knee injury on the play before the errant snap where his knee gave out as he tried to plant his leg. On that penultimate play, Griffin was sacked by Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin.
The first major injury to the knee came in 2009, when Griffin tore the ACL in the third game of the season while playing for Baylor. Griffin missed the rest of the year but returned in 2010 and won the Heisman Trophy in 2011.
Griffin sprained the LCL last month when he was hit by Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata at the end of a 13-yard scramble. Griffin missed one game and returned to play three more while wearing a bulky knee brace, his mobility clearly hindered.
According to Stats & Information, Griffin led the league in scrambles (43) and scramble yards (411) before his Week 14 injury against the Ravens. However, after the injury, Griffin scrambled only once in his last three games (for 1 yard), including Sunday’s playoff loss.
On Sunday, Griffin hurt the knee again as he fell awkwardly while throwing a pass in the first quarter against the Seahawks. He remained in the game, with Shanahan saying he trusted Griffin’s word that all was OK.
Griffin finally departed in the fourth quarter, after the knee buckled while he was trying to field a bad shotgun snap.
The No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft, Griffin was one of several rookie quarterbacks to make an instant impact on the NFL this season. He set the league record for best season passer rating by a rookie quarterback and led the Redskins to their first NFC East title in 13 years.
But he also had to leave three games early due to injuries — two because of his knee and one because of a concussion — and missed a fourth altogether because of the knee.
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