These contemporary articles document Griffining while the original fan-photo trend was active. They are valuable historical evidence, but images appearing in these articles are not automatically verified as submissions to Griffining.com.
September 9, 2012 — Associated Press / CBS News
RG3 dazzles in NFL debut. Contemporary report of Washington’s 40–32 win and Griffin’s first touchdown pass to Pierre Garçon.
September 10, 2012 — CBS Sports
(PHOTOS) RG3 inspires newest trend; get ready for Griffining. Early photo examples credited to fan accounts; the outlet credits Burgundy Blog with starting the trend.
September 11, 2012 — NFL.com
Say hello to #Griffining, the NFL’s new #Tebowing. Documents the @Griffining social account, Baylor and kindergarten photographs, and Griffin’s reaction.
September 12, 2012 — FOX Sports
RG3: ‘Griffining’ is ‘pretty funny’. Reports Griffin’s response to the new internet meme.
September 12, 2012 — The Baylor Lariat
Baylor Lariat original issue (PDF, page 3). The student paper published a column under the headline “Griffining takes over week one.” See our archival research note for context.
September 17, 2012 — Los Angeles Times
Redskins quarterback RG3 keeps striking a pose. A contemporary look at Griffin’s early NFL celebrations and the meme.
September 30, 2012 — The Washington Post
RGIII poses with Olympic hurdler Kellie Wells after the Tampa Bay win. This source identifies the person originally described as a fan and documents RG3 recreating the pose himself.
October 1, 2012 — Larry Brown Sports
Robert Griffin Griffining with Kellie Wells. Documents a notable recreation of the pose with Olympic hurdler Kellie Wells.
October 21, 2012 — The Washington Post
RGIII, Griffining against the Giants. Discusses a later Griffining moment and describes how the original photo inspired shirts, tattoos, and fan recreations.
For a carefully attributed trail of the first known fan photographs, read our 2012 fan-photo source guide. News coverage is historical evidence but does not establish that each photograph was an original Griffining.com submission.
Additional early reporting and an official season retrospective
September 10, 2012: Diehard Sport’s early Griffining photo report points to @BurgundyBlog as a source of fan submissions. This documents the wider social-photo trend, not original Griffining.com uploads.
Later retrospective (publication date not confirmed): Washington’s official Top 12 Player Celebrations From 2012 gallery places Griffin’s Griffining gesture at No. 4. This is a separate organizational ranking, not the original Griffining.com Top 10. For source context, see our research note.
Explore the archived website
Griffining.com — December 27, 2012 (Internet Archive). The capture may load some assets from nearby dates.
The story continued into 2013
Griffining remained recognizable beyond its first few weeks. In May 2013, The Washington Post revisited the original seated pose while covering another RG3-inspired photo trend. This is later commentary, not an original 2012 Griffining.com submission.