Onward and upward.
That’s the message Grete Griffin conveyed to husband Robert Griffin III on Thursday following the news of his stunning ESPN firing.
In response to Griffin sharing a clip from the movie “Friday,” in which John Witherspoon’s character states, “How the hell you going to get fired on your day off?” Grete replied, “Onto bigger and better things.”
Griffin, a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who played for Washington, Cleveland and Baltimore during his NFL career, was hired by ESPN three years ago and had two years remaining on his contract.
Sam Ponder, the host of “Sunday NFL Countdown,” was also let go in the cost-cutting move.
Griffin — who was making more than seven figures, according to The Athletic — had been bumped from the network’s “Monday Night Football” pregame show after the Worldwide Leader hired retired Eagles center Jason Kelce this past spring.
The 34-year-old expressed gratitude for those at ESPN who “helped me grow” in a lengthy message posted to X on Thursday night.
“From the broadcast booth to the studio and ESPECIALLY the people many of you never see behind the camera. They are the REAL MVPs and sacrifice so much time with their families just to ensure people like myself in front of the camera even have the opportunity to shine,” Griffin shared with his 2.2 million followers.
“There were so many awesome experiences and moments that my family and I will never forget from the last 3 years. What people sometimes fail to realize is none of this is possible without you guys, the FANS. So THANK YOU to everyone who has supported my family through my playing days and broadcast career so far. We love you guys and will continue to seek and defend the truth while telling athletes’ stories the right way.”
He wrote in a separate X post on Friday morning: “When one door closes, another one opens. Trust God on your journey.”
Griffin and Grete have been married since 2018 and are parents to three daughters. He has a daughter from a previous relationship.