Robert 'RG3' Griffin III on Playing Football in a Political Town, Dream Pickup Game With Obama

Nov. 28, 2012 -- The Berlin Wall had already fallen by the time Robert Griffin III was born.

Today, the son of two Army sergeants has grown into one of the most-hyped young football stars on the national scene. He roared through Baylor University in Texas with a political science degree in less than four years, winning the 2011 Heisman Trophy along the way.

Griffin then moved to Washington, but not for the same reasons as other poli-sci grads who flock to the shores of the Potomac. Chosen by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, the 22-year-old star quarterback is the new great hope of the D.C. sports world.

Despite living in the nation's political capital, Griffin -- commonly referred to by the nickname "RG3" -- knows better than to talk much about his own political views. But he has a passion for encouraging young people to vote.

Griffin joined the nonprofit group Rock the Vote in October to encourage young people to cast a ballot. Griffin sent his own ballot to Texas by mail, but won't say whether he chose Mitt Romney or President Obama.

He also teamed up with the makers of the new video game "Assassins Creed III."

Griffin got an early taste for Washington last year when he met Obama and challenged him to a pick-up basketball game. "He said he wouldn't play me but I could play on his team," Griffin told Yahoo News.

Griffin has ambitions to go to law school, and he's leaving open the possibility of one day being bitten by the politics bug. "Who knows what the future will hold," he said when asked whether he could see himself in elected office. "But, right now, I have no plans for running for office."

For now, in a city polarized and clouded by partisan bickering, Griffin is one of the few figures who have shown promise of uniting the place. In an exclusive interview with Yahoo News, Griffin talked about the importance of voting rights, what it's like playing for the football team in the nation's political capital, his dream basketball pick-up game with Obama and his love of video games.

Yahoo News: When you cast your ballot for president, what were some of the most pressing issues that were on your mind?

RG3: For me, I always told my fiancée and my family that money would never change the way I viewed politics. For me, it wasn't a money issue. It was about overall what each candidate presented, but I can't disclose who I voted for.

YN: Why don't you like to talk about who you voted for?

RG3: There's a couple things you don't talk about in life, and that's race, religion and politics. I try to make sure I don't talk about politics at all.

YN: You now live near Washington, D.C., the country's political city. Are you able to find time to follow politics much now that you're playing for the D.C. town?

RG3: I get my share here and there via the news on TV and sometimes I'll stop in on the stations and listen for a second. But for the most part, I try to stay out of it and make sure I stay focused on football.

YN: You were a political science major at Baylor. Is the political process different from how you imagined it now that you live in the politics capitol?

RG3: No, politics is not what people think it is. I know that from being a political science major. You really can't get too much of a feel for it by being this close to the capital unless you go out to rallies and you're an inside source. And by no means am I an inside source.

YN: Any politicians in D.C. you would like to meet?