Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III has unleashed a fiery response after Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes were criticized by anonymous sources in a controversial preseason rankings article.
In an annual quarterbacks "tiers" poll published by The Athletic earlier this week, unnamed defensive coaches downplayed Jackson as being one-dimensional and claimed Mahomes "plays streetball."
Griffin, now an analyst with ESPN, suggested the knocks on the former league MVPs was racially motivated.
"Why are these anonymous defensive coordinators attacking 2 Black NFL MVPs in Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes," Griffin said on Twitter. "They add flare to the position and have won games at historic levels. Stop screaming for them to get off your lawn and accept that there is more than one way to win."
In the final polling, Mahomes was the second-ranked QB in the league, part of the first tier, while Jackson came in at No. 10, in the second tier.
Prior to Griffin's remarks, ESPN college football analyst Myron Medcalf had also noted that Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was being depicted as "lazy" after his contract extension included a so-called "homework clause" which mandates at least four hours of "independent study" for each game week.
On Wednesday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh dismissed the anonymous source's remarks about Jackson as a "big nothing burger."
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