Redskins’ Robert Griffin III has mild ligament sprain in right knee

Washington Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said Monday that Robert Griffin III has a mild sprain of a ligament in his right knee and hasn’t been ruled out for the upcoming game against the Cleveland Browns.

Shanahan said the injury is a Grade 1 sprain of the lateral collateral ligament on the outside of the knee, caused when the rookie quarterback was hit at the end of a scramble late in regulation in the Redskins’ 31-28 overtime win Sunday over the Baltimore Ravens.

Shanahan says Griffin has mild swelling and is receiving treatment multiple times a day.

“He’s definitely not ruled out for the Cleveland game,� Shanahan said.

The LCL is one of four ligaments in the knee. A Grade 1 sprain typically means the ligament is stretched or has some minor tears.

The most severe knee injury usually associated with sports is a season-ending torn ACL, the anterior cruciate ligament. Griffin tore the ACL in his right knee while playing for Baylor in 2009, but Shanahan said Griffin’s reconstructed ACL “looks great� and that there’s “no problem there.�

Fellow rookie Kirk Cousins will start if Griffin can’t. Cousins threw a touchdown pass with 29 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and ran in the score-tying two-point conversion after Griffin was hurt.

Ravens fire offensive coordinator

Cam Cameron was fired as offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, who have lost two straight and are still striving for consistency in the running and passing game.

Cameron had run the Baltimore offense since the start of the 2008 season for Coach John Harbaugh. Since that time, the Ravens’ attack has repeatedly taken a back seat to the team’s defense, and this year the offense ranks 18th with 344.4 yards per game.

Jim Caldwell, who was hired as quarterbacks coach before the season, will assume Cameron’s duties. Caldwell was head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2009 to 2011.

Tagliabue set to rule

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue will rule Tuesday afternoon on the latest round of player appeals in the NFL’s bounty probe, and any potential punishment will be delayed by a week, a person familiar with the decision said.

The delay is designed to give a federal judge in New Orleans the opportunity to rule on pending motions to throw out the suspensions and remove Tagliabue as the appointed arbitrator for the player appeals to the league, said the person, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no rulings have been announced.

The NFL’s decision to delay potential sanctions for four current or former Saints also means linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith may play Sunday when New Orleans plays host to Tampa Bay.

If the sanctioned players find Tagliabue’s decision palatable, that could finally bring the bounty saga to an end more than nine months after the NFL first made public its probe of New Orleans’ cash-for-hits program. If not, it will be up to U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan to disqualify Tagliabue or let his ruling stand.

Whisenhunt decision on hold

Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill said a decision on whether Ken Whisenhunt remains as coach will be made after the season.

Bidwill called the team’s 58-0 loss at Seattle on Sunday “unacceptable� and said he has been evaluating the situation on a week-to-week basis as the losing streak has grown to nine games.

“I think not making a rush decision is the right way to go,� Bidwill said in his first comments on the matter.

He said he and fans have been “living and dying with each one of these losses. It’s extremely hard to watch.�

“We know we can do better,� Bidwill said. “I know that there is a lot of emotion around what happened yesterday, but I don’t intend to make any decisions based on emotion.�

Etc.

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who had to leave the game Sunday against Minnesota because of a sore neck, said he expects to play this week against Green Bay. ... The Oakland Raiders reinstated linebacker Rolando McClain from the suspended list and cut starting cornerback Ron Bartell. McClain was suspended for two games on Nov. 30 for conduct detrimental to the team after a practice run-in with Coach Dennis Allen. ... Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson will miss the remainder of the season because of a sprained ligament in his right knee. ... Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook has a torn right rotator cuff and will be put on injured reserve for the final three games. ... Receiver Armon Binns was awarded to the Miami Dolphins off waivers from Cincinnati.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe will miss next weekend’s game at Oakland because of a rib injury and could miss the rest of the season, Coach Romeo Crennel said. ... The Arizona Cardinals claimed quarterback Brian Hoyer off waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers. ... Jacksonville Jaguars Coach Mike Mularkey was briefly hospitalized after becoming ill at the team’s training facility. He was released following tests and the team said he was expected back at work Tuesday. ... Quarterback Michael Vick and running back LeSean McCoy passed concussion tests and could return to practice with the Philadelphia Eagles as early as Tuesday.