After becoming a bona fide superstar at the college level while playing for Baylor University and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2011, Robert Griffin III was considered a player who could take that superstardom to the NFL level, as he was selected as the No. 2 overall pick by the then-Washington Redskins in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Griffin was one of the most promising quarterbacks to come out of the college game that year and he did not disappoint during his first season in the nation’s capital, as he won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and became one of the most exciting young players in the league with a seemingly bright future.
Unfortunately for Griffin, injuries began to pile up as he could not stay healthy, resulting in him leaving the team in 2016 and signing with the Cleveland Browns in an attempt to revive his once-promising football career at the professional level.
Things didn’t really get better for him as he went unsigned in 2017 but he got another chance in the NFL, where he signed with the Baltimore Ravens to back up veteran Joe Flacco and talented youngster Lamar Jackson.
Although Griffin’s tenure in Baltimore wasn’t long, offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, who passed away, left an impression on him, leading the former NFL quarterback to express his admiration for him on Twitter.
“He was always motivated to do something more than just be someone who told you what to do and how to do it. He taught you how to live, how to love, and how to follow your passions so you would never need a real job in your life,” Griffin wrote.
May Coach Joe D’Alessandris’ soul rest in peace. He was more than just an offensive line coach. He was family to everyone he encountered.
The way this man behaved with my family from the very first day he met them showed me his true character.
He was always motivated to be better than others… pic.twitter.com/LouVBgDARs
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 25, 2024
D’Alessandris had a very long and rewarding career in football that began in 1977 when he served as a graduate assistant at Western Carolina.
After beginning his career in 1977, he spent considerable time as an offensive line coach at the college level, until moving to the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008 and working with the Buffalo Bills and then-San Diego Chargers before landing with the Ravens in 2017.
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