Dwayne Haskins seemed to be a can’t miss NFL prospect in 2018 when he broke a slew of records in just one year at Ohio State. Urban Meyer called Haskins “… the best I’ve seen at his age since I’ve been coaching.” Haskins was taken as the No. 15 overall pick in the 2019 draft by the Washington Football Team.
Haskins grew up in Maryland and was a lifelong Washington fan. The dream of a young kid was coming true, but then the story goes a little off path. Haskins struggles as a rookie, the head coach that drafted you gets fired, and the newly hired head coach doesn’t have much faith in you.
After being given the starting job this year in Washington and being named captain by his teammates, head coach Ron Rivera benched Haskins just four weeks into the season. Rivera felt like Haskins still needed to hone some skills to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
It’s been downhill for Haskins ever since. He was demoted to third-string behind Alex Smith, who hadn’t played a down in the NFL in two years. After a series of injuries, Haskins was handed the starting gig once again this past week and put up decent stats with 295 yards passing and a touchdown. However, Haskins also threw two picks as Washington fell to the Seattle Seahawks 20-15.
How did Haskins respond? By going to a strip club. And to make matters worse, he was photographed in a crowded room without a mask in the middle of a pandemic. Haskins reportedly apologized to his teammates for his irresponsible behavior. As a result, the team has fined him $40,000 and stripped him of his captain title.
Source: Washington Football Team QB Dwayne Haskins’ captainship was taken away following his COVID-19 violation that included being photographed at a strip club without a mask. His teammates had voted him a captain in camp. This is part of the internal punishment for Haskins.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 23, 2020
You know you are going the wrong direction when Ryan Leaf talks about you and says “… it’s like looking in a mirror.” We get it, 2020 has been rough on most everyone, but there’s still something to be said for making wise decisions. Here’s to hoping Dwayne Haskins can figure things out… not only on the field but off it as well before it’s too late.
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