Washington Commanders rookie running back Brian Robinson is doing well and "in a very good place" after being shot multiple times in an attempted robbery Sunday evening, head coach Ron Rivera said during his Monday press conference.
"The doctors were very positive with him, and he was very positive as well," Rivera said. "We're very fortunate, he's very fortunate. It's a very unfortunate situation."
Robinson was shot in the leg and glute around 6 p.m. in the 1000 Block of H Street, N.E. in Washington, D.C., according to law enforcement reports. He was taken to a hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. There is no timeline on his recovery, but Robinson did send out a message on his Instagram account to announce that his surgery went well and thank his teammates and fans for their support.
Rivera has received several difficult phone calls in his career, but this one was certainly harder than most. He and running backs coach Randy Jordan were watching film on Robinson when he heard the news. "It blindsided me a bit," Rivera said, and he immediately told Jordan, who understandably took the news hard initially.
From that point, Rivera informed general manager Martin Mayhew, and a contingent that included Rivera, Jordan, Mayhew, Dan and Tanya Snyder and team president Jason Wright drove to the hospital, where they were joined by Robinson's aunt and uncle. A number of Robinson's teammates were also at the hospital to give him their support.
"It's sad," said defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. "You never want to see something like that happen. By the grace of God, he's okay … That's really what's the most important thing right now."
One of the first things that Robinson asked Rivera to do when the head coach got to see him was to tell his teammates and as many people that he was doing well.
"I just got done visiting w/Brian," said in a tweet Sunday night. "He is in good spirits and wanted me to thank everyone for their kind words, prayers & support. He wants his teammates to know he appreciates them all for reaching out and he loves them all & will be back soon doing what he does best."
Rivera huddled the team together before Monday's practice, and while he thought the players handled the situation well, Robinson's presence was certainly missed throughout the morning. Carson Wentz said Robinson is "a lot of fun to be around." He brings plenty of energy off the field and was starting to come out of his shell in practice.
Wentz called the news "sobering."
"It's a wake up call to everybody that there's real life problems out there in this world. Thankfully, Brian's doing well."
Terry McLaurin said that Robinson has "fit in right away" because of his infectious personality. He is always enthusiastic about his job and constantly looks for ways to improve. McLaurin has been a mentor to Robinson since he joined the team, and he sees a lot of himself in the rookie.
"As a whole, he's a good human being, and he's a really great competitor," McLaurin said. "It's just going to be really good to see his face again."
McLaurin has been impressed with what Robinson has shown on the field, but his only concern right now is that Robinson is alive and healthy.
"I just started praying for him and his recovery, not just physically, but mentally his support system around him and then just for the guys that are affected in our locker room by that," McLaurin said. "It's good to hear from Coach Rivera and other people that he's gonna be okay and make a quick recovery."
It is unclear as to when Robinson will be back at the team facility, but it is certain that his teammates are looking forward to his return.
"I am excited to him back in this building, hopefully soon," Wentz said.
