Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was cleared Monday to being practicing. However, that won’t translate to a preseason appearance, according to NFL.com.
The Baylor product said Wednesday he will miss the entire preseason as he recovers from knee surgery.
"Unless it's a necessity," said Griffin, "then I don't think I'll play in the preseason unless coach says so."
The Redskins star quarterback used the words “patience is key” on two occasions when speaking with reporters. On Wednesday he successfully completed his condition test and mentioned it was a “good moment” to rejoin his teammates on the field.
Griffin suffered the ACL and LCL injury during the Redskins first-round playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks last season. The injury sparked controversy after he stayed in the game despite appearing to be in pain.
Griffin set a goal to return from the injury in time for training camp—a goal that he has reached. During a text message interview with USA Today Sports, he said the road to recovery is not over.
"No time to feel proud," he wrote. "Just more work and winning to do."
For now, RGIII is not allowed to do 11-on-11 drills and will participate in seven-on-seven drills. He mentioned how has always worked to push the limit but is willing to adhere to the teams’ rehab process.
"I think we're all on the same page now," he said according to NFL.com. "We all make mistakes -- last season -- we all understand that, we've all talked about it and it's time to move on. Moving forward and hopefully moving up to the Super Bowl."
The Redskins expect Griffin to start in their Week 1 regular season matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
