It seems that everything Robert Griffin III touches turns to gold.
A year after winning the Heisman Trophy at Baylor, Griffin led the Washington Redskins on a remarkable turnaround that ended in a surprising playoff berth. So, just how valuable has Griffin become for the Redskins and their fans?
A pair of pink cleats worn and signed by Griffin were recently auctioned off for a whopping $15,000 at an American Cancer Society auction which raised money for the organization. The shoes beat out a Super Bowl package and a Redskins VIP experience as the most expensive item at the auction.
The new owner of the shoes, a Texas real estate investor named Gerald Haddock, will add them to a small shrine he has to Griffin in the corner of his office. Haddock, a Baylor alum, told the Washington Post that he also has a jersey, a helmet and a signed football.
"My family loves the Snyders," Haddock said of Washington owner Dan Snyder and his family. "We love doing something for the organization. It’s not about the shoes, but it is about honoring them and the organization. And Robert Griffin. Robert Griffin means as much to us in Texas and to the people who supported him at Baylor, as he does to the family of Washington. And so it’s really a combination of all those things."
Sara Kogod of the Washington Post wrote that Griffin also posed for 18 photos (which he later autographed) for $1,000 at the auction. So in essence he single-handedly raised more than $30,000 for the American Cancer Society.
