The news on Robert Griffin III’s injured right knee couldn’t be much worse.
According to a report from ESPN’s Brett McMurphy , the rookie quarterback suffered a partially torn lateral collateral ligament in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Griffin also, at the very least, partially tore his anterior cruciate ligament, but the severity of the injury won’t be revealed without further examinations.
Redskins’ coach Mike Shanahan said that because of results from a MRI on Monday, the quarterback will see orthopedist Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla., on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old suffered a partially torn ACL in 2009 and, because of this previous tear, the severity of the current injury couldn’t be determined from the MRI.
If the ACL is completely torn, rehabilitation could take up to 12 months and Griffin’s 2013 season could be in question.
An earlier report from the Washington Post said the MRI on Griffin’s knee suggested that he suffered partial tears of his ACL and LCL.
“One person with knowledge of the situation said Griffin might have to undergo exploratory surgery to determine the extent of the damage and whether the injuries are new,” the Post report says. “Another said Griffin hopes to avoid full-blown reconstructive surgery if the tears are partial, even if they are new injuries.”
Griffin left in the fourth quarter of the Redskins’ 24-14 wild-card loss to the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, after twisting his already-injured knee awkwardly while trying to recover a wild snap.
Griffin originally sprained the LCL in his right knee against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 9 and appeared to re-aggravate the injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s game. The quarterback was limping throughout most of the second half before leaving the game.
The Redskins won seven straight games to end the season and capture the NFC East title, the team’s first since 1999. Griffin was the driving force behind Washington’s revival and is a top candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, throwing for 3,200 yards, 20 touchdowns, only five interceptions and recording an astounding quarterback rating of 102.4. He added 815 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
