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Redskins: A brief history of why Bruce Allen should be on the hot seat

By Matt Hines

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 21: (C) Bruce Allen, the new general manager of the Washington Redskins, talks on the field before the game against the New York Giants at FedEx Field on December 21, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. Allen replaces Vinny Cerrato, who resigned last week. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 21: (C) Bruce Allen, the new general manager of the Washington Redskins, talks on the field before the game against the New York Giants at FedEx Field on December 21, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. Allen replaces Vinny Cerrato, who resigned last week. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 20: General Manager Scot McCloughan of the Washington Redskins talks on the phone prior to the start of a game against the St. Louis Rams at FedExField on September 20, 2015 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 20: General Manager Scot McCloughan of the Washington Redskins talks on the phone prior to the start of a game against the St. Louis Rams at FedExField on September 20, 2015 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /

The Scot McCloughan saga

After a 28-52 record in his first five years it’s clear that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder didn’t believe Allen was fulfilling his role as General Manager. This resulted in the Redskins bringing Scot McCloughan out of his early retirement following his resignation from the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. Allen would abdicated the title of GM to become the team’s Preisdent instead.

Fast forward two years, Kirk Cousins is in a one year deal back and forth game with the Redskins and  McCloughan has been fired. All this came despite him having a promising two year run in both the draft and free agency. It resulted in a PR nightmare for the Redskins.

The Redskins did not initially explain why they fired McCloughan following a leave of absence but it was widely reported that it was a result of a relapsing alcohol problem. Bruce Allen stated he “wished him well in his future endeavors”. According to Liz Clarke of the Washington Post, a source “with direct knowledge of the situation attributed the decision to McCloughan’s ongoing problems with alcohol.” This source went on to claim “He showed up in the locker room drunk on multiple occasions”.

Allen later acknowledged that McCloughan’s alcoholism was the reason he was fired but denied being the anonymous source in the Washington Post article. While it’s entirely possible McCloughan’s problems with alcohol lead to his termination or at least played a role, the entire situation seemed suspicious.

Several weeks later at the league’s owners meeting, Allen stated “We needed clarity” in a sit down with NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finley. After the Redskins decided not to hire a replacement, Allen regained full control of the organization with increased roles for Senior VP of Football Operations Eric Shaffer and Senior VP of Player Personnel Doug Williams.

The Redskins went 7-9 in Allen’s sixth year assuming General Manager responsibilities.

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