The mother of Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels lashed out at fans for invoking the memory of Robert Griffin III after her son left Sunday’ 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys with a hamstring injury.
‘I wish you would stop manifesting RGIII on my son,’ Daniels’ mother, Regina Jackson, wrote on X. ‘Words are powerful and that’s all that’s talked about.’
Known to millions as ‘RGIII,’ Griffin was a Heisman Trophy winner at Baylor who went on to be named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with Washington in 2012, only for his career to be upended by knee injuries. These days Griffin is a television analyst and podcaster, who now covers college football for Fox Sports.
Like Griffin, Daniels won a Heisman before being picked second overall in the NFL Draft and winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in Washington.
But unlike Griffin, the hamstring injury Daniels suffered in Sunday’s loss isn’t expected to impact the remainder of his career. Daniels left the game after being sacked and surrendering a fumble midway through the third quarter.
Hours later, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that early indications are that Daniels’ injury is ‘nothing serious.’
Daniels exited after being sacked and surrendering a fumble during the third quarter
Robert Griffin III’s tenure in Washington was cut short by a series of unfortunate injuries
Daniels was not his usual productive self before his third-quarter exit on Sunday
But by the time Florio’s report hit social media, many football fans were already dismissing Daniels as a RGIII sequel.
‘I had to listen to @Commanders fans hype up jayden daniels for an entire year just for him to be a glorified RG3,’ one critic wrote on X.
‘Watching Jayden Daniels having RG III’s career path is not fun,’ added a Commanders fan.
Many others posted some version of: ‘Jayden Daniel= RG3.’
Coming off a NFC Championship berth, the Commanders are just 3-4 this season, although Daniels has continued to post impressive numbers.
Jackson did not appreciate fans likening her son’s career to Robert Griffin III’s
Regina Jackson, mother of Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) takes a photo with former NFL quarterback Tom Brady before an October 5 game in Inglewood
Fans were less than understanding as Daniels struggled without his top three receivers
He’s thrown eight touchdown passes compared to just one interception, and although his passing accuracy has dopped from 69 to 61 percent, he’s still averaging a solid 7.1 yards per completion.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Daniels will have an MRI on his hamstring, but added his quarterback ‘definitely wanted back in.’
On a day when Washington was without its top three receivers, Daniels completed 12 of 22 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown before getting hurt.
He missed a pair of games earlier this season due to a knee problem. Washington went 1-1 with backup Marcus Mariota in place of Daniels.
