The Washington Post‘s entertainment and nightlife blog “The Reliable Source” reports that at the Vanity Fair/Bloomberg party in D.C. on Saturday night, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder snapped at a guest for calling his star quarterback by his nickname, RG3, instead of his proper first name. “It’s Robert,” Snyder snarled at the partygoer.
So to recap: According to Snyder, it’s okay to use the term redskins, a derogatory term which is offensive–considered racist–to many Native Americans, and its use is currently being challenged in court and by the U.S. Congress. But don’t you dare call an athlete by his nickname–which is really just his initials–that he himself uses.
RG3 is, of course, Robert Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback out of Baylor University who is now one of the most exciting players in the NFL. In addition to being named to the Pro Bowl last season, RGIII was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and the Sporting News Rookie of the Year. He led the Redskins to a 10-6 record and their first playoff appearance since 2007.
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Even in enemy territory, the New Orleans Superdome, home to dem Saints, RG3 is RG3 or RGIII, in this case)
Griffin’s been known as RG3 since at least 2009, when he was playing at Baylor and a Waco, Texas, sports anchorman called him that, as ESPN recounts, and it stuck.
Just don’t call him “Bob,” as New York Giants d-lineman Osi Umenyiora learned.