Category: Washington Football Team

NFL fines Washington Football Team $10 million for workplace issues

What penalty did the NFL hand down to the Washington Football Team?

The NFL said it was going to investigate the Washington Football Team for a series of indiscretions within the organization. The league on Thursday announced the punitive measures it is taking against owner Dan Snyder’s franchise.

The WFT will be fined $10 million, which will be donated to charity.

The conclusion of independent counsel Beth Wilkinson was …

… for many years the workplace environment at the Washington Football Team, both generally and particularly for women, was highly unprofessional. Bullying and intimidation frequently took place and many described the culture as one of fear, and numerous female employees reported having experienced sexual harassment and a general lack of respect in the workplace.

Per the NFL:

Wilkinson interviewed more than 150 people, most of whom were current or former employees of the club, and many of whom conditioned their participation on a promise of anonymity.  She interviewed owner Dan Snyder twice.   Dan Snyder and the club released current and former employees from any confidentiality obligations for purposes of speaking with Wilkinson and pledged that there would be no retaliation against any current or former employee who did so.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said: Beth and her team performed their work in a highly professional and ethical manner.  Most importantly, I want to thank the current and former employees who spoke to Beth and her team; they provided vital information that will help ensure that the workplace environment at the club continues to improve.  It is incredibly difficult to relive painful memories. I am grateful to everyone who courageously came forward.”

Snyder released a statement after the decision.

 

Former Hawaii star, Washington draft pick Colt Brennan dies at 37

Former Hawaii star quarterback Colt Brennan has died at the age of 37

Colt Brennan, who starred at the University of Hawaii and was a sixth-round draft pick of the Washington Football Team, has died at 37, Hawaii News Now reported.

Professionally, Brennan did not play for Washington, which drafted him in 2008, or the Oakland Raiders, who signed him after his time with the WFT.

He then went on to the Hartford Colonials of the defunct United Football League, the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL, and the Los Angeles Kiss of Arena Football.

Per Hawaiinewsnow:

He was 37 years old. Details about his passing were not immediately available.

Brennan’s decision to come to Hawaii after a championship career at Saddleback College in California marked the beginning of a new era in Manoa.

The side-armed slinger, along with receivers like Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullen, led an overpowering offense that helped Hawaii win the Hawaii Bowl in 2006 and finish the regular season undefeated a year later.

In college, Brennan was an absolute star for Hawaii.

Among his accomplishments:

  • Second all-time in most career touchdowns responsible for (146). Achieved November 23, 2007.
  • NCAA record for most 400 yard games (20). Achieved in 2007.
  • Tied NCAA record for most career touchdown passes by a quarterback-receiver combination (39 to Davone Bess). Achieved November 23, 2007.
  • NCAA two-season record for most touchdown passes, 96 (2006–2007)
  • Eighth all-time for passing efficiency (season), posting a 186.0 mark in 2006.
  • NCAA record for most points responsible for (season) with 385. (2006)
  • Second all-time for highest pass completion percentage (career) with 70.4%. This record was eclipsed by Dan Persa during the 2011 season.
  • Fourth all-time in career touchdown passes with 131.
  • Sixth all-time in total passing yards with 14,193.

Alex Smith announces retirement via stirring Instagram video

Alex Smith announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday

The remarkable comeback of Alex Smith was one of — actually, the best — story of the 2020 NFL season.

Now, the curtain drops on the career of the former No. 1 draft pick out of  Utah.

On Monday, Smith announced his retirement via a stirring Instagram video.

“Two years ago I was sitting in a wheelchair, staring at my mangled leg, wondering if I’d ever be able to go on a walk with my wife again or play games with my kids in the yard. Putting my helmet back on was the furthest thing from my mind,” Smith narrated in a video that featured shots of him rehabbing from the compound leg fracture he suffered on a sack on Nov. 18, 2018 against the Texans.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CN2j9LohMi4/?igshid=1fmq2ob75ds8k

“Then on a routine play, I nearly lost everything. But football wouldn’t let me give up because I know this isn’t just a game, not just what happens between those white lines on a Sunday afternoon. It’s about the challenges, the commitment they require, it’s about how hard and how far you can push yourself and the bond between the 53 guys in the locker room,” Smith said in the video that was posted to Instagram.

“Even though I have plenty of snaps left in me, after 16 years of giving this game everything I got, I can’t wait to see what else is possible.”

Smith played for Washington in 2020 and was released by the team in the offseason.

He played seven seasons in San Francisco, then went to Kansas City for five before completing his career with Washington.

Smith was the quarterback of the Chiefs when Patrick Mahomes was the backup in the eventual Super Bowl MVP’s rookie season.

In his career, Smith threw for 35,650 yards and 199 touchdowns with 109 interceptions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OM40hGfkfc

 

Washington getting set to part ways with Alex Smith

It looks like Alex Smith was correct when he said in GQ the Washington Football Team was shunning him. A divorce is near.

It was one of the best stories of the 2020 NFL season. Alex Smith returning to the field as the quarterback of the Washington Football Team after a gruesome leg injury in 2018 and multiple surgeries.

But there is no such thing as a happy ending—no matter how wonderful the tale is—it seems. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Monday Smith and the WFT are headed for a divorce.

The news comes after a GQ interview with the former No. 1 overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers out of Utah. Smith said he felt unwanted and shunned by the WFT when he was rehabbing from the injury that almost cost him his right leg.

He was 5-1 in six starts for Washington but was unable to go in the Wild-Card game against Tampa Bay due to a calf injury.

Smith is going to be 37 on May 7 and would have to catch on as a free agent when he is released.

Washington cut 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins during the season after an ugly run. It started Taylor Heinecke in the playoff loss to Tampa Bay.

Former Notre Dame star Louis Nix subject of missing-persons report

Former Notre Dame star Louis Nix, who was shot in December, is now the subject of a missing-persons report in Florida

Louis Nix, who starred on the Notre Dame defensive line from 2011-13, has been reported missing in Florida.

Nix, who was chosen by the Houston Texans in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft, had been wounded in a robbery in December.

He was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad in 2016; he was released by the Jags in 2017. During his time in the NFL, he also played for the Houston Texans, New York Giants, and the Washington Football Team. He played in four games for the Giants in 2015.

Nix was wounded in December while putting air in the tires of his car at a gas station.

Per the South Bend Tribune:

A flashlight attached to a gun flickered in Louis Nix III’s eyes, blinding him for the moment and startling the former Notre Dame nose guard to the point that the words the two men hovering over him were saying became indiscernible.

All Nix was trying to do was put some air in one of his back tires that he noticed was a little low after finishing his shift Tuesday night at Cintas in his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla.

Moments later the 29-year-old was riding in the back of an ambulance to the hospital, having been shot in the chest at a gas station.

Now, his family is concerned as he has been missing since Feb. 23.

Ben Becker, an anchor/reporter for the CBS/FOX affiliate in Jacksonville has been in touch with Nix’s mother.

Anyone with any information about Nix is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500.

 

Alex Smith felt unwelcome by Washington during comeback

Why does Alex Smith feel Washington didn’t want him around while rehabbing during his stirring comeback?

NFL Comeback Player of the Year for 2020 Alex Smith says in a candid interview with GQ he believes the Washington Football Team didn’t want him around. At all.

Per GQ:

When I decided to come back, I definitely threw a wrench in the team’s plan. They didn’t see it, didn’t want me there, didn’t want me to be a part of it, didn’t want me to be on the team, the roster, didn’t want to give me a chance. Mind you, it was a whole new regime, they came in, I’m like the leftovers and I’m hurt and I’m this liability. Heck no, they didn’t want me there.

The former No. 1 overall pick by the San Francisco 49er suffered a gruesome leg injury in 2018 that caused him to miss the entire next season. He had 17 surgeries, 28 screws, and three plates put in his right leg after being sacked by J.J. Watt and other Houston Texans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yvXpjrjCMs

Smith went through painstaking rehab after nearly losing his right leg and eventually started six games for Washington — appearing in eight — going 5-1 as the team won the NFC East despite a sub-.500 mark. His return came in relief against the Los Angeles Rams.

His welcome came in the form of being tackled by Los Angeles’ great defensive lineman Aaron Donald.

I don’t think I’ve ever been tackled like that in my entire career, ever playing football. It’s so crazy that the first time I get tackled after all this is Aaron Donald jumping on my back. If there’s any other way for me to know that my leg was strong enough, here’s the perfect example.

Did you look at your leg after that and be like, “Okay, we’re good?”

There was a moment. I didn’t know it was Aaron at the time, but I felt like it was in slow-mo. I’m like, “I have a D-lineman on my back right now.” And I took a couple of small steps before I went down. There was a little pause when that happened, like, “I got a human on my back with this leg.” Turns out it was the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

The leg held up and Smith led Washington to the playoffs. He was unable to go in the loss to eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay due to a calf injury.

However, his remarkable return stirred all and earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors in a landslide. He encompassed the mantra “Just Live,”  mentioned in his speech while accepting the award.

I learned what that means, to just live. Being in the moment, making the most of the opportunities. And certainly what an opportunity it is to go out there on Sundays and play, to be like kids. That stuff’s not going to last forever. We don’t know when it’s going to slip through our fingers. So it became something I would tell myself all the time: “Just live. Just go out there.”

To read the wide-ranging, compelling Q&A click here.

 

What running backs have had 100-yard games in the Super Bowl?

What running backs have broken the 100-yard mark in Super Bowl history? The record-holder is a surprise, Washington’s Tim Smith.

Washington Football Team coach Ron Rivera is cancer-free

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera has received a clean bill of health. He is cancer-free.

There has been so much awful news because of the pandemic and everything around COVID-19. When something to cheer about comes along it is easy to share with the football universe.

Washington Football Team coach Ron Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma located in a lymph node in August. Rivera said then the cancer was in the early stages and considered “very treatable and curable.”

Rivera went through treatment and rang the bell signaling the end of his chemotherapy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOcT-qQHqbs

On Thursday, his daughter Courtney asked for prayers and love and his dad returned to the doctor. And the great news: Ron Rivera is cancer-free.

Earlier in the day, news that Ron Rivera was honored as NFC Coach of the Year.

Washington Football Team to make Jennifer King fulltime assistant coach

Jennifer King will become the first Black woman making to be a full-time coach in the NFL.

The Washington Football team is going to name Jennifer King as a fulltime offensive assistant coach. King will become the first full-time African-American female coach in NFL history.

King spent time with the Carolina Panthers before becoming a coaching intern with the WFT for the 2020 season. She worked  with running backs coach Randy Jordan with Washington.

King worked as an intern for two years under current WFT coach Ron Rivera when he was in Carolina, in 2018 and ’19. She also was an assistant receivers coach for the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football.

She played for three professional women’s football teams from 2006-19.

https://www.tiktok.com/@nfl/video/6917032284180761862?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowOUu9oFQ6ZrjMDTsCh3n8WFhNV6qXWHA0SS0crZoLSLJBK5%2B1MJ%2FxEKYs0ZbkOBpCGgA%3D&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAA3FqvZjvQMh4Y3M91a6eokhOEzKgIwoLdXGeAuIdj1ni75qZzOmXY6Xy_GC1mWuYf&share_item_id=6917032284180761862&share_link_id=5B8252A0-BB1C-4694-9E6D-221548A7C241&timestamp=1610574007&tt_from=twitter&u_code=4jk7e8ah9ak1h&user_id=106604146606174208&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=twitter&source=h5_m

Report: Pittsburgh Steelers agree to terms with Dwayne Haskins

Dwayne Haskins to the Pittsburgh Steelers…surprise

The Dwayne Haskins redemption show will start with the Pittsburgh Steelers, per a report.

The former No. 1 draft pick of the Washington Football Team — No. 15 overall in 2019 — is going to the AFC North.

Haskins was a total flop in Washington before being cut during the 2020 season. However, the Steelers see something and brought him in Thursday and he impressed enough to agree to terms on a deal.

Haskins was 3-10 as a starter and threw 12 touchdown passes against 14 interceptions.