Rivera: Robinson may return in ’22 after shooting

ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders haven’t ruled out running back Brian Robinson‘s return this season after the rookie was shot twice in his lower body Sunday.

Robinson remained hospitalized Monday, but there’s a chance he’ll be discharged in the afternoon. Robinson posted a story on his Instagram page saying the surgery went well.

Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said he has heard Robinson might be discharged Monday. A team official told ESPN that a Monday discharge is possible.

Washington coach Ron Rivera said the team will determine whether to place Robinson on the non-football injury list after talking to doctors later Monday. Robinson would miss at least four games if the team makes that move.

Rivera was among a contingent of team officials, including co-owners Dan and Tanya Snyder, as well as a few players, who visited Robinson on Sunday night. Robinson’s aunt and uncle, an Air Force colonel stationed in the area, also were at the hospital.

“The doctors were very positive with him and he was very positive as well,” Rivera said. “He’s very fortunate. He’s doing well. It will be a matter of time before he’s back out here. There’s no timeline, but everything was very positive.

“It’s just about the healing process, and once he’s well enough to get on the field, doctors have to clear him and we’ll go from there. Everything is positive so far.”

Robinson was shot in an armed robbery attempt. Robinson had gone into the District of Columbia to get something to eat. The incident happened shortly before 6 p.m. ET in the 1000 block of H Street Northeast.

When police arrived on the scene, they located Robinson, who was suffering from “a couple gunshot wounds to his lower extremities,” according to Dustin Sternbeck, director of communications for the Metro Police Department in Washington. Robinson was treated by paramedics at the scene and transported immediately to a local hospital. One bullet hit his glute and another struck him in a lower leg.

Sternbeck said police have identified two potential suspects and recovered a firearm a short distance from where the shooting occurred. According to the police report, the incident was described as aggravated assault.

According to the report, Robinson wrestled away a handgun from one assailant but was shot by the other, who also was using a handgun; both suspects are believed to be teenagers, but the investigation is ongoing.

Rivera met with players before they went outside for practice early Monday morning.

“I just let them know it’s a somber day and we expected it to be a tough day so just hang in there,” Rivera said. “They rallied and practiced pretty doggone good. They were able to focus. I know their hearts are heavy right now because a lot of them are thinking about Brian. But we’re very fortunate, he’s very fortunate that a lot of the news is positive.”

Rivera said he and running backs coach Randy Jordan were watching film of Robinson when he got the phone call Sunday evening. Robinson soon called him to let him know he would be OK. Robinson, a third-round draft pick in April, had emerged this summer as Washington’s likely running back on early downs. Coaches liked how hard he ran between the tackles.

But they also liked his personality and how he approached his job.

“I’ve gotten several phone calls as a head coach, but this was one of the harder ones,” Rivera said. “First of all because he’s a heck of a young man. It kind of blindsided me a little bit.”

Quarterback Carson Wentz said the news jolted the players.

“It’s sobering for sure,” Wentz said. “This is real life. Things could have been a lot worse. It takes you away from football real quick. These are real-life issues and we’re not immune to it.

“To have moments like that, that are unrelated to football, gives you a sense of reality and makes you understand a much bigger picture and that there are more important things in life.”

This isn’t the first time Washington has had to deal with off-field tragedies in the past year. Defensive end Montez Sweat‘s brother was shot and killed in December. Earlier last year, Sweat’s mother died. Former safety Deshazor Everett crashed his car after going 90 mph on a rural Virginia road two days before Christmas, killing his longtime girlfriend.

That’s in addition to multiple other off-field occurrences, including Dan Snyder being investigated by Congress and losing the team’s trainer after the Drug Enforcement Agency raided his office last October.

“Things have happened on and off the field for this team the last few years,” Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin said. “We’ve learned to take the time and appreciate what’s going on and you can’t just breeze over it and move past it. We’re human and it does affect our mental. It shakes your whole day when things like [Robinson’s situation] happen, but we also understand we still have to do our job and come out and practice hard and prepare.”

McLaurin said Robinson has an infectious personality in practice — not because he’s always talking, but because of his actions and how hard he practices. He said Robinson often sits next to him in offensive meetings; after he was getting more work with the starters, he said, Robinson was “still hungry to earn that spot. If he keeps that mindset, he’ll be successful.”

Wentz said Robinson is “a lot of fun to be around. He’s high energy, great dude. He was coming out of his shell a little bit. I look forward to seeing him back in here hopefully soon and a big smile on his face; I’m sure it’ll come back real quick.”

At his news conference, Rivera wore an orange shirt that had the inscription “Wear Orange,” signifying his support for gun safety measures.

“It’s about education,” Rivera said. “If you’re going to own a handgun, it’s about knowing how to properly secure it so it doesn’t get stolen or so the wrong people don’t use it and do this.

“This continues to be a nationwide epidemic, gun violence. We have to get to a point where we talk about gun safety. We can’t make this a partisan issue. It’s something we have to work on to come together and be able to solve.”

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