Dwayne Haskins has gone from persona non grata to adequate replacement to persona non grata all over again.
The Washington quarterback dropped from starter to street clothes earlier this years. Now playing again due to injuries to Kyle Allen and Alex Smith, Haskins has apologized for social-media posts that supposedly show him at a strip club on Sunday, in apparent violation of the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
“I want to publicly apologize for my actions this past Sunday,” Haskins tweeted after the story came to light. “I spoke with Coach Rivera yesterday and took full accountability for putting the team at risk. It was irresponsible and immature of me and I accept responsibility for my action. I also want to apologize for creating a distraction for my team during our playoff push. I will learn and grow from this and do what’s best for the team moving forward.”
John Keim of ESPN.com reports that the team has been in contact with the league regarding the situation, but that the team is handling the situation internally.
It’s a distraction the team doesn’t need, not with a potential division-clinching game this weekend against the Panthers, who fired Rivera a year ago.
The punishment for Haskins remains to be seen. The league’s protocols clearly prohibit players from attending nightclubs without personal protective equipment. The social-media photos show that Haskins was wearing none.