Amid a lost season and reports of a falling out with coach Jay Gruden, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has gone silent on social media and he explained Tuesday that he doesn't want his words to be twisted around anymore.
Griffin hasn't posted on Facebook since Thanksgiving and hasn't sent out a tweet since retweeting a message that raised awareness for ALS last Friday.
Griffin, who was known for long speeches and speaking his mind on social media in the past, explained why he went dark.
"It just felt like, for me, anything I was saying, whether it was positive or negative, whether it was a positive retweet or anything, was getting twisted and turned against me and against this team," Griffin told ESPN. "I feel I can be free up here and talk to you guys, but sometimes things get twisted and turned and it creates a distraction for the team. I didn't want that to happen."
Griffin said he was trying to quiet some of the noise that comes from his comments on social media.
"I played a game and then I was out for seven weeks and there was still a ton of noise," Griffin said. "Sometimes you don't understand certain things and they don't go the way you want them to go, but if I get criticized for retweeting about going to a charity event for a foundation, I mean what else can you do? So I decided to shut it down and not focus on it."
He added: "It's not that I was focused on it before. I felt like I would cut out a little bit of it for me. I'm sure there is still a lot of noise out there, but I don't ever see it."
Griffin is expected to start Sunday when the Redskins (3-11) host the Philadelphia Eagles (9-5) at FedEx Field in Washington, D.C.
Griffin and Gruden have had some rocky points this season, including when the coach called out his quarterback for saying his teammates needed to step up after a 27-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 16.
"I was just coaching out loud," Gruden said afterward. "The whole thing came up when it came out he was criticizing his teammates or what have you. I just wanted to make sure he was worried about his own game."
Griffin, 24, has appeared in seven games this season and is 104-for-150 (69.3 percent) for 1,138 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions thus far this season.
The former No. 2 overall pick has rushed for 146 yards on 27 carries and has failed to reach the end zone thus far this season.
While Griffin has been off social media, he intends to get back into it when the season is over.
"I will get back into that in the offseason," he said. "I'm a social person. I like to be open and talk to the fans, and we'll definitely get back to that, but for now I will just leave it alone."
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