There is no doubt Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. is lucky to be alive. Robinson was shot twice during an attempted robbery on Sunday in D.C. He reportedly wrestled away a gun from one of the two teens that tried to rob him. However, he was by the second teen, once in the hip and once in the knee.
From a football standpoint, he is just as fortunate not to have any severe injuries. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, one of the bullets passed through his knee and missed all vital parts of the joint.
“Sounds like he’s very fortunate from a football standpoint, with the impact of the bullet that hit him in the knee. Apparently [it] missed all of the major parts of the knee, ligaments, tendons and bone, went through his knee and somehow did not create massive damage.”
Robinson underwent surgery on Monday. He, himself, posted on social media “Surgery went well.”
The rookie was released from Medstar Washington Hospital Center on the same day.
There is no timeline for Robinson’s return on the field. However, he made the team’s initial 53-man roster. Prior to the shooting, he appeared to be Commanders starting running back ahead of third-year pro Antonio Gibson.
Robinson was at the team’s facility Tuesday to visit the medical staff, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.
On Tuesday, Rivera said keeping Robinson on the roster “gives us a little bit of time” to determine his roster status, according to Ben Standig of the Athletic.
Options include injured reserve or non-football injury list. Both would require him to miss at least the first four games before he could play.
The Commanders kept Jonathan Williams on the initial 53-man roster along with Gibson and J.D. McKissic. Williams is expected to be the RB3 at least until Robinson is healthy.
The unfortunate situation could have been worse for Robinson on a number of fronts. The biggest takeaway is he is still alive. The fact his football career is not in doubt adds more good news to the situation.
