Category: Washington Football Team

Historic day for women in NFL via Washington-Cleveland game

Sunday marks the first NFL game with a woman coach on each sideline and a female official

The Washington Football Team game against the Cleveland Browns has special significance Sunday for women and the NFL.

The contest marks the first time in league history a game features a female coach on both sidelines and a female official on the field.

Callie Brownson is the chief of staff for Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and Jennifer King is in her first season on Ron Rivera’s coaching staff in Washington. Sarah Thomas became the league’s first female official in 2015, has worked in the postseason, and is now making more history.

Washington coach Ron Rivera acknowledged the moment with a tweet Sunday.

A former college basketball coach, King first connected with Washington coach Ron Rivera when both were in North Carolina. She joined Rivera’s staff as an intern in 2018 with the Panthers, and when he took the job in Washington earlier this year, King came with him as an offensive assistant and full-year coaching intern — the first Black woman in league history.

Brownson was an all-around player in the Women’s Football Alliance before she was bitten by the coaching bug. She started at the high school level, wound up at Dartmouth and was hired by Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott, who gave her a full season internship in 2019.

Deion Sanders announces himself as head coach at Jackson State

Jackson State is naming “Prime Time” Deion Sanders as its football coach this week.

Deion Sanders did it in classic “Prime Time” style. The Pro Football Hall of Fame DB announced Sunday he is going to be the head coach of the Jackson State football program.

Per WLBT:

Sanders announced the career move Sunday evening on the debut episode of his podcast, “21st and Prime”. In an ironic twist of math, the NFL Hall-of-Famer who made the number 21 famous will become the 21st head coach in JSU’s program history.

Sanders, who was on campus this past weekend with JSU Athletic Director Ashley Robinson and interim President Thomas Hudson, is expected to be officially introduced on Tuesday.

The SWAC season has been delayed until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. As of now, the first game Sanders will coach is Feb. 27 against Mississippi Valley State.

A two-time Super Bowl Champion and six-time First-Team All-Pro over a 14-year NFL career Sanders will still do the podcast along with other media opportunities at Barstool Sports.

 

 

 

Why is Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder missing the Cardinals’ game?

Dan Snyder and his wife came in contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. He will miss the Cardinals game.

The hits keep on coming for the Washington Football Team and its owner Dan Snyder.

After a scandal-riddled offseason, what could be next other than having to miss a game because they came into contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus?

Not sure whether the team will mind not having its controversial owner watching the game from back East.

Report: Ron Rivera got IV at halftime so he could keep coaching

Ron Rivera is undergoing cancer treatment, The coach wanted to continue Sunday so he had a planned IV at halftime.

All the inspiration Washington needed Sunday came from its coach.

Ron Rivera is undergoing treatment for cancer. The coach had a planned IV at half of the team’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday.

Rivera had the IV so he could continue coaching. Washington may not have used it as inspiration but who is going to argue if you want to believe it did.

Washington fell behind 17-0, scored a TD with less than a minute left before the half and added 20 more after the break to down its NFC East rivals, 27-17.

Former NFL WR Josh Bellamy charged in massive COVID-19 relief scam

Former Bear and Jet WR Josh Bellamy has been charged in a massive fraud scheme involving COVID-19 relief.

Josh Bellamy, a wide receiver who was with four teams from 2012-19 and was released by the New York Jets Tuesday, was one of 50 people across 16 states charged Thursday with attempting to defraud the government out of up to $175 million in COVID-19 relief money.

Bellamy’s alleged role in the scheme saw the former Chicago Bear and Jet obtain a loan worth more than $1.24 million from the Paycheck Protection Program for a company called Drip Entertainment LLC (a Florida company). The loans were designed to help small businesses recover from the coronavirus pandemic for specific purposes.

Bellamy, who also spent time early in his career with Kansas City and Washington, is alleged in the complaint to have deposited the money into his personal bank account, which at the time had $2.51. In a three-month span this spring and summer, the complaint alleges Bellamy withdrew more than $302,000, spending $104,000 on luxury goods and jewelry and another $62,774 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Florida.

Bellamy was charged in a federal criminal complaint with fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.

Per the Tampa Bay Tribune:

Bellamy also was involved in the preparation of at least 90 fraudulent applications for friends and family, the complaint says. Those loans were worth as much as $24 million; at least $17.4 million worth were approved. Ten other co-conspirators were charged in the alleged scheme.

According to the complaint, an undercover agent posing as a potential loan partner, asked Bellamy how many employees he had. “I got as many employees as I want,” the complaint quotes Bellamy.

Bellamy, 31, had 78 catches for 999 yards and five touchdowns in his career. All but two of the receptions came as a Bear. He was born in St. Petersburg, Fl, and played college ball at Louisville.

 

Report: Alex Smith has earned spot on Washington Football Team roster

Alex Smith’s incredible comeback continues as he has earned a spot on the Washington Football Team 53-man roster.

The incredible comeback story of Alex Smith is going to continue.

The Washington Football Team quarterback, who suffered a gruesome leg injury in the 2018 season, will be on the team’s 53-man roster for 2020, per  NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

His hefty contract might have played a role in Washington deciding to keep the QB, who will be in a backup role. Dwayne Haskins is the starting quarterback.

The veteran’s contract might have played a part in the decision to keep him. Pelissero noted that while Smith still has a long way to go in his recovery, he is due $16 million fully guaranteed in 2020. This move allows for him to not only keep working his way back but mentor Haskins, who made seven starts and nine appearances last year as a rookie.

 

Washington Football Team releases Adrian Peterson

At 35, the great Adrian Peterson is looking for a new team.

Out with the old — age-wise — with Ron Rivera and the new regime. The Washington Football Team announced Friday it has released 35-year-old running back Adrian Peterson.

Peterson tweeted an image the day prior of him in his new helmet with the digits 26 on the side as opposed to the old logo.

Peterson joins Derrius Guice (cut after being arrested) and Chris Thompson (with Jaguars) as the top three rushers from 2019 that are no longer with the team. They had 1,281 of Washington’s 1,583 rushing yards in a putrid 3-13 season.

The top rusher left over is quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who had 101 yards.

The current roster at running back has Peyton Barber, rookie Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic, and Bryce Love.

Peterson exits Washington after two seasons that saw a renaissance. He rushed for 1,940 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He currently has 14,216 career rushing yards and 111 touchdowns on the ground. He is fifth on the all-time rushing leader list, behind Barry Sanders, Frank Gore, Walter Payton, and Emmitt Smith.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the former Minnesota Vikings star hopes to catch on with another team.

 

Report: NFL takes over Washington Football Team workplace investigation

Commissioner Roger Goodell told Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder the NFL is taking over the investigation into its workplace.

The alleged sexual harassment of women in the workplace of the Washington Football team gave rise to stunning headlines once the Washington Post broke the story.

More eyebrows were raised when owner and questions asked when owner Daniel Snyder said the team would run the investigation into the numerous incidents.

That’s not happening anymore. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke to Snyder and told him the NFL will be taking over the probe.

The Washington Post summed up the breadth of the scandal in this article.

The original investigation detailed 15 women who said they were sexually harassed and discriminated against in the workplace.

When one thought the story could not become more sordid, it did. The Post reported videos were made of outtakes from the cheerleaders’ 2008 calendar shoot. Former SVP Baker said he was present when the former senior vice president and play-by-play broadcaster Larry Michael told staffers to make the unauthorized video for Snyder.

There have been numerous calls for Snyder to be forced to sell the team. It will be fascinating to see what determination the league makes and what action follows.

Stunning report details lurid actions in Washington Football Team workplace

The Washington Post paints an awful workplace environment within the Washington Football Team.

The Washington Football Team has been hit with an ugly scene after ugly scene this offseason. And Wednesday, the Washington Post released a report detailing lewd cheerleader videos and sexist rules in the team’s workplace.

The article opens by telling sordid stories of a 2008 cheerleaders photo shoot for a swimsuit calendar.

Per the report:

What the cheerleaders didn’t know was that another video, intended strictly for private use, would be produced using footage from that same shoot. Set to classic rock, the 10-minute unofficial video featured moments when nipples were inadvertently exposed as the women shifted positions or adjusted props.

The lewd outtakes were what Larry Michael, then the team’s lead broadcaster and a senior vice president, referred to as “the good bits” or “the good parts,” according to Brad Baker, a former member of Michael’s staff. Baker said in an interview that he was present when Michael told staffers to make the video for team owner Daniel Snyder.

“Nothing can be further from the truth. I was never asked to nor did I ask someone to compile videos as you described,” Michael told the Post.

Snyder and his team did not respond to repeated requests from the newspaper.

More from the report:

The Washington Post obtained a copy of the 2008 video from another former employee, along with a similar outtakes video from the squad’s swimsuit calendar shoot in the Dominican Republic in 2010 that included a close-up of one cheerleader’s pubic area, obscured only by gold body paint.

In addition, a former broadcasting producer for the team told The Post that Michael ordered that the 2010 video be burned to a DVD titled “For Executive Meeting.” The former producer did not recall Michael mentioning Snyder. Both former employees spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation. Michael denied knowledge of any such videos.

To read the entire story, click here.

 

Report: LSU failed to investigate 2 alleged rapes by Derrius Guice

LSU is accused of not investigating accusations of two alleged rapes by Derrius Guice while the running back was at LSU.

A pair of former LSU students say Derrius Guice raped them in 2016 when the ex-Washington Football Team running back was at the school in Baton Rouge, according to a USA TODAY report.

Per the investigation by USA TODAY’s Kenny Jacoby and Nancy Armour:

A USA TODAY investigation found that the women’s allegations were shared at the time with multiple people at the school — including at least two coaches, an athletics administrator and a nurse — yet the school does not appear to have investigated.

… USA TODAY began reporting this specific story Aug. 3, four days before Guice’s arrest, and first interviewed one of the women in January about the alleged rape. That same woman also detailed her allegations in June as a plaintiff in a lawsuit in which she is listed as a “Jane Doe.”

.., Both women told USA TODAY that Guice assaulted them in their own apartments after nights of heavy drinking. One woman said Guice showed up uninvited to a party she was hosting, then entered her bedroom while she was sleeping and raped her. The other woman, the tennis player, said Guice raped her when she allowed him into her home after meeting him for the first time at a bar.

“I was drunk and passed out on my bed,” the first woman said. “I never gave him consent. I never wanted to have sex with him. I don’t even remember except the flashbacks I had. I just wonder sometimes, does he even know that that was wrong?”

The attorney for Guice, who was cut earlier this month after the running back’s arrest on domestic violence charges, denied all allegations. Washington cut him on Aug. 7 following his arrest the same day in Virginia on multiple domestic violence charges, in a separate matter.

“At no time were allegations of physical or sexual assault brought against Derrius during his years as a student athlete at LSU,” Peter D. Greenspun said in his statement. “To bring up such assertions only after the Virginia charges were initiated certainly calls into question the credibility, nature and timing of what is being alleged years later.

“Such speculation and innuendo should not be the basis for Derrius to be required to make any comment at all,” Greenspun added. “But he wants to be absolutely clear. The allegations in this story are just that and have no basis in fact.”

To read the entire investigative report, click here.