Robert Griffin III

Briana Caywood, Elizabeth Harley, Kelli Noeska, Mackenzie Neuburg

Background/Overview- Drafted as a quarterback in the first round (2nd overall)

in 2012 by the Washington Redskins

- College: Baylor

- Hometown: Texas

- 26 years old

- Agents: Relativity Sports

- After 3 seasons, Robert was benched prior to the 2015

NFL Season due to injury and speculated off the field

issues

Media Analysis - Topics of Coverage:

- RGIII trade/release rumors from the Redskins

- Prospects looking to pick RGIII up in the upcoming draft

- Quotes from peers and other NFL coaches about RGIII’s character or “fit” for a specific team

- Themes/Angles:- No real quotes from Robert himself- Those speaking about him “wish him

well in the future”- Most outlets portray sports team

coaches and officials as being on the fence or passive towards him

Media Analysis - Consistent Coverage:

- Washington Post - ESPN 980- CSN Washington- Washington Times- ESPN (for major news/rumors)

Media Analysis - After it was announced that Robert

would not start for the Redskins in

the 2015-2016 NFL, the tone of the

media was essentially split on placing

the blame on the Redskins or Robert

- While some outlets blamed poor

decisions made by Redskins’ coaches

and leaders for the downfall of

Robert, others blamed the

quarterback for being too egotistical

Public Perception - Like the tone of the media coverage, public

perception ranges - Key audiences:

- Redskins fans- While some fans were quick to jump off of the

“RG3 wagon,” others remain adamant that they

want him to remain with the team

- NFL coaches & players - Throughout his tenure with the Redskins Robert

has been viewed as too “self absorbed” and

difficult to coach

- Robert also was accused of throwing his

teammates under the bus on different occasions

- NFL fans- Similar to Redskins fans, some are begging their

team to add the quarterback, while others are put

off by his past character/performance dramas

PR Tactics/ Analysis

- An important PR tactic used to reach

out to their main audience (his fans

and fellow NFL colleagues, future

teammates, and coaches), is social

medias

- Instagram : RGIII 386k followers

- Twitter : RGIII 1.2 million followers

- Facebook : 1,004,965 followers/likes

PR Tactics/Analysis The differences and changes we’ve seen

in his social media activity:

- In his previous season, he was not

active on any of social media sites or

found in controversial problems

posting and liking inappropriate

things

- Now we’ve seen multiple “inspiring,”

“positive” tweets daily, and

instagram photos posted usually

once a day

PR Tactics/Analysis

- Another approach RGIII and his PR team have taken is getting involved with the community more and working with charities and other organizations

- He most recently hosted the second Salute to Fitness

program in Waco, TX.

- Adults and kids gathered on the Baylor campus to do boot

camp exercises and zumba session activities.

- Griffin said, “the purpose of the camp was to instill

fundamentals of healthier living”

- All the proceeds went to building a home for a disabled

veteran.

- Griffin also said he “enjoys giving back to the community”

Conclusion/PR Problem

- Making the “RG3” brand marketable again

- To NFL teams

- Restore confidence in athletic ability, and character

- To potential teammates

- Make Robert a teammate players want to have in their locker room

- To fans

- Generate the same excitement, and jersey and ticket sales that

having RG3 on the roster brought in 2012

References Media Analysis / Public Perception http://www.sbnation.com/2015/9/1/9232961/robert-griffin-iii-washington-jay-gruden-dan-snyder-mike-shanahan-injury-concussion

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/robert-griffin-iiii-rg3-quotes-washington-redsking-apology-starting-preseason-best-quarterback-nfl

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/08/27/report-several-washington-offensive-linemen-dislike-rg3/

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13623718/washington-redskins-qb-robert-griffin-iii-was-superstar-only-our-imaginations

Background:

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/washington-redskins/robert-griffin-iii/

http://www.relativitysports.com

Pr Tactics/Analysis:

http://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Robert-Griffen-III-host-salute-to-fitness-event.html

www.instagram.com/rgiii

www.twitter.com/rgiii