Robert Griffin III's divorce with Mike Shanahan might be final, but that doesn't mean the acrimonious breakup hasn't stuck with the Washington Redskins quarterback.
In an in-depth interview with Bleacher Report's Les Carpenter, Griffin acknowledged the emotional toll of his fallout with Shanahan, a coach he deeply admired during his youth in Copperas Cove, Texas.
"For me it was just heartbreaking," Griffin said. "You know with everything that happened -- came into the league with -- I was a huge Bronco fan, everybody knew that, and I had the coach of my dreams pick me in the draft."
Carpenter wrote that Griffin then paused.
"Heartbreaking."
Griffin was asked if he understands how his relationship with Shanahan unraveled so quickly.
"No," he said. "But right now I don't need to try, you know? ... Yeah, I put last year into perspective and have used it as fuel to move me forward, but I don't need to try to understand why it happened because it's kind of like trying to understand why there are so many planets out there, or is anyone else out there, or how did God build the human body. How did all this stuff happen? It can drive you crazy."
An unnamed former Redskins teammate underlined the drama going on behind the scenes in Washington last season.
"Robert thought Mike hated him," the teammate said.
"It's like he had an ex-girlfriend he loved or wanted to love and he can't."
Griffin is very clearly a sensitive soul, the type of personality trait you don't expect -- or necessarily want -- from your starting quarterback. His relationship with Jay Gruden appears to be much healthier, an important subplot as RGIII attempts to get his career back on track.
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