Dwayne Haskins offers statement after Washington Football Team release

Dwayne Haskins offers a statement after his release from the Washington Football Team.

After a disappointing loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Washington Football Team decided to release Dwayne Haskins on Monday afternoon. The 2019 first-round pick had been with the team just shy of two seasons, but they felt it was time to move on from the quarterback.

Haskins endured a tumultuous week in the lead-up to his release from the team. He was seen partying maskless, a violation of COVID protocol, after his team’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and that drew criticism from many. At the time, some wondered if Haskins would be cut for his actions.

Instead, he wasn’t. He was fined, lost his captaincy, and was tapped to start in place of an injured Alex Smith. The reasoning was that neither Taylor Heinicke (with the team for three weeks) or Steven Montez (zero career NFL passes) would be able to lead the team to a win. Neither, however, was Haskins and his poor performance coupled with the events of the last week led Ron Rivera and Co. to part ways with him.

Shortly after his release was announced, Haskins made a statement via his official Twitter account, now private. Here’s a look at what he had to say, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

It’s all well and good that Haskins is taking the responsibility for this, but it just further demonstrated that he missed his wake-up call earlier in the season when he was benched. Maybe he didn’t have the confidence of the coaching staff, but it didn’t quite seem like he was focused on the right things.

Now, Haskins is getting a second, harsher wake-up call, and the reality of his situation is hitting him. Less than two years into his first-round contract, he is looking for work. That’s not something that happens often in the NFL. He could land somewhere if he can learn and better himself as he previously stated, but he has a long way to go before that time may come.

For Washington, moving on from Haskins was a necessity. He was outplayed by Heinicke on Sunday, and Heinicke had been signed off the street three weeks ago while taking advanced math and science classes at his alma mater, Old Dominion. And after Haskins’ antics off the field, Rivera took control of the situation and released him.

And make no mistake. It was a culture-based move.

We’ll soon see if Haskins lands elsewhere and is able to stick around. He needed a wake-up call and a change of scenery, but his future, much like the future at quarterback for Washington, is very uncertain.