Redskins senior VP: Mike Shanahan 'sure sounds bitter'
Washington Redskins senior vice president Larry Michael said former Washington coach Mike Shanahan "sounds bitter" when asked about comments Shanahan made Wednesday on ESPN 980′s The Sports Fix, according to the Washington Post.
Over the course of 90 minutes, Shanahan talked about quarterback Robert Griffin III, owner Dan Snyder and more, revealing that after the 2012 season, Griffin requested a meeting where he told Shanahan which plays were "acceptable" and which were "unacceptable" to run. Shanahan also placed blame on some of Griffin's views on Snyder.
• MMQB: Combine's real drama done behind closed doors
"He sure sounds bitter, I can say that,” Michael said Thursday, according to the Post. "To say [what Shanahan said] at this point, I don’t know how that’s gonna benefit him. Maybe he wishes to get back in the league. Maybe he’s got some other motives for coming out and saying some of the things he said. I think it's kind of interesting that no one [with the team] has reacted. I mean, there’s been plenty of media reaction. But I don’t think I’ve seen any – and again, I’m here at the combine, I can't say I’m on top of stuff from here – but I haven't seen anybody that he mentioned react publicly yet, which I think speaks volumes."
Michael said some of Shanahan's comments "really surprised" him, and felt they were things "you would have thought would have been stuff that you would have kept to yourself."
"Some of the comments [were] about things that might have happened behind closed doors," Michael said. "And again, that is one man saying that. Obviously there’s two sides to every story, and that is just one man’s side of the story…."
Shanahan coached Washington from 2010 through 2013, winning one NFC East crown but failing to win a playoff game. He was fired by Snyder in December 2013 and was replaced with Jay Gruden.
- Molly Geary
