Questionable hits have cost Michael Griffin upward of $220,000 this season alone, but don’t expect the Titans safety to change his ways anytime soon.
Ahead of his return from a one-game suspension, Griffin was asked whether he will continue to approach the game the same way despite his dubious reputation with the NFL’s conduct office. His answer: absolutely.
“I’m going to do what I’m going to do. I’m going to still play the way I’ve been playing,” Griffin said Wednesday, via ESPN.com. “And that’s my job. At the end of the day, the question is this: Either the league is going to take money out of my pocket or the team is going to release you if you can’t get the job done. They’re going to find somebody else to come in here that can get the job done.
“You’re losing money regardless, however you want to look at it. You tell me. However I need to get the job done, I’m going to get the job done. You can’t think about it. The league ain’t going to give me money. They’re not going to pay me to do the job correctly. I’ve just got to play.”
Griffin was suspended for last weekend’s game — which included forfeiting his $205,882 game check — after laying out Raiders tight end Mychal Rivera with a brutal head shot that send Rivera’s helmet tumbling downfield. The Texas product has also been hit with three separate $20,000-plus fines over the past two seasons, with the most recent stemming from his illegal hit on Jets wide receiver Stephen Hill in Week 4.
He’s eligible to return to the lineup when Tennessee visits Denver this Sunday.
