Mike ShanahanRobert Griffin III stepped up to the podium for the first time today following the Redskins’ practice session today, but Head Coach Mike Shanahan was missing in action. Why?
Earlier Monday, wide receiver Pierre Garçon was running downfield to catch a deep pass, reports SB Nation. All seemed perfectly fine until Garçon, recently acquired from the Indianapolis Colts, neared the sideline along with the defender tailing him. But standing right there was Shanahan, into whom Garçon and the defender barreled.
After taking the blow, Shanahan wound up skipping the post-practice interview session with reporters. Linebacker London Fletcher called the hit “scary.” And as SB Nation notes, Shanahan is nearly 60 years old. Getting crushed by a pair of much younger NFL players is reason enough to sit out a press conference.
But older coaches have survived worse. Joe Paterno, the late Penn State coach, took a few knocks in his five-decade run atop the Nittany Lions. Last summer, before what would prove to be his final (and truncated) season, a wide receiver ran straight into the 84-year-old Paterno, who walked away from the collision with nary a scrape. In 2006, Paterno suffered a torn ligament and broken leg after a pair of players ran into his sideline perch during a game. But he bounced back to coach the remainder of that season from the booth.
No word on whether Shanahan suffered any serious injuries in today’s accident. Perhaps we should be telling him to suck it up.
