Tag: Washington News

Washington Commanders’ executive leaving team for a ‘new opportunity’

Will Misselbrook is leaving Washington after almost two years with the franchise.

Another high-profile executive is leaving the Washington Commanders.

On Tuesday, Ben Standig of The Athletic revealed that Washington’s chief creative and digital officer, was leaving the Commanders for a “new opportunity.”

Misselbrook’s title was the first of its kind in the NFL. Hired in May 2021, Misselbrook was brought aboard by team president Jason Wright to help with the team’s rebranding efforts.

Misselbrook came to Washington; he had an impressive resume, working for The Trust, Wall Street Journal, Barron’s Group, Dow Jones Media Group, Wieden & Kennedy, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH New York and Coach in various positions.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Misselbrook ahead of the 2022 NFL season, Washington’s first season as the “Commanders.” He went over multiple aspects of the rebranding process in an informative conversation.

While his stint was rather short, Misselbrook’s impact was felt.

Misselbrook accomplished multiple things with Washington, including the creation of Washington Branded, a branded entertainment studio for the team.

While Misselbrook is heading off for his next opportunity, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post noted the long list of Washington executives who have departed over the last two years.

As she noted, many left for different reasons, not necessarily the reasons many believe.

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Former Washington safety Deshazor Everett sentenced to house arrest

Deshazor Everett was sentenced to three months of house arrest for misdemeanor reckless driving in an accident that killed his longtime girlfriend.

Former Washington safety Deshazor Everett was sentenced to three months of house arrest Thursday for reckless driving in the December accident that killed his longtime girlfriend, Olivia Peters.

Everett was initially charged with felony involuntary manslaughter but reached a plea agreement for misdemeanor reckless driving with Loudoun County prosecutors.

According to Neal Augenstein of WTOP News in Washington, D.C, the mothers of Everett and Peters hugged in an emotional courtroom after the judge agreed to a joint request from the defense and the prosecutor that Everett be sentenced to 12 months in jail, with nine months suspended.

Everett’s defense attorney suggest Everett serve his three months on house arrest so he could continue his rehab and perhaps return to the NFL. Everett, 30, spent seven seasons with Washington as a star on special teams and also played safety. Everett was once a captain for Washington.

The judge ordered Everett to do a public service announcement about how dangerous reckless driving is and circulate it around the NFL.

The Commonwealth Attorney agreed with the judge’s sentence, with the backing of Peters’ family.

”Making a PSA would have great potential to reach so large an audience,” Commonwealth Attorney Christina Brady said.

District Court Judge Deborah Welsh added the following

”What a wonderful team you were,” said Welsh of Everett and Peters. “The court is going to give you the opportunity to help others. People look up to you. Make this video. Have an impact. I wish you much luck with this.”

Everett was released by Washington in March and must also pay a $2,500 fine and complete 100 hours of community service.

 

 

More details emerge from the shooting of Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr.

More details emerge from the shooting that injured Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr.

Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. posted a message to his Instagram page Monday letting everyone know his condition, one day after being shot in an attempted carjacking in Washington, D.C.

“Surgery went well! Thanks for the prayers! God is Great,” Robinson said.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera met with the media Monday and said Robinson was “doing well” and in a “really good place.”

Later Monday, we began to learn more details about the shooting. NBC 4 of Washington said D.C. Police are seeking two teenage boys, perhaps as young as 15, in the shooting that wounded Robinson.

The NBC 4 report indicates Robinson was able to wrestle a gun away from one of the teens while the second teen shot Robinson. Robinson suffered gunshot wounds to his knee and hip.

The search for the suspects is ongoing.

“What has been reported to us is that they may be between 15 and 17 years of age,” Washington, D.C. Chief of Police Robert Contee said.

“Our victim in this case began to struggle with one of the suspects, was able to actually wrestle a firearm away from one of the suspects, and he was shot twice by the second suspect,” he said.

A handgun was found around a block away from the shooting as the teens fled the scene and jumped into a stolen car.

We’ll continue to follow this story as we receive more information.

 

Commanders strongly deny latest allegations

The Commanders offer a strong response to the latest allegations.

It’s been another hectic several days for the Washington Commanders. Last week, the Washington Post released a report suggesting Washington had committed alleged “financial improprieties.” The Commanders denied any wrongdoing.

The supposed “improprieties” were discovered during Congress’ investigation into the organization’s toxic workplace culture.

Over the weekend, A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports broke a story alleging Washington withheld ticket revenue from the 31 other NFL teams. NFL laws say every team must share 40% of its ticket sales.

As expected, the Commanders answered the latest accusations through a team spokesman via the Washington Post.

There has been absolutely no withholding of ticket revenue at any time by the Commanders. Those revenues are subject to independent audits by multiple parties. Anyone who offered testimony suggesting a withholding of revenue has committed perjury, plain and simple.

At this point, it’s important to remember that these are currently only accusations. We’ll keep you posted on any new updates regarding Congress’ investigation into the Commanders.

 

Commanders ‘wouldn’t entertain’ trade offers for Terry McLaurin if they came

A Terry McLaurin extension is a priority for the Commanders, and Washington “wouldn’t entertain” trading the star wideout.

The wide receiver market is on fire around the NFL. The Green Bay Packers traded superstar wideout Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, who then signed him to a record contract.

Next, the Kansas City Chiefs sent star pass-catcher Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins for multiple draft picks and then signed Hill to another record contract.

What’s next?

Well, according to Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, it will not be Terry McLaurin. Recently, in a chat with Ben Standig of The Athletic, Rivera was asked about a potential contract extension with McLaurin. Rivera noted that it is a priority for the team but cautioned everyone to be patient.

“I think the biggest thing is just (telling) everybody patience,” Rivera said, per Standig. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

Rivera is right. The team does have time but understand the angst of fans who’ve seen this movie before. Regardless of what fans thought about Kirk Cousins or Brandon Scherff, the team allowed both players to enter the final year of their rookie contract without a long-term agreement, and the rest was history.

Standig noted how McLaurin’s teammates are monitoring the situation closely, while other organizations are also watching how Washington handles McLaurin’s contract situation. Rivera said there have been no official trade inquiries for McLaurin and it would not matter as the Commanders “and we wouldn’t entertain it.”

The earlier Washington attempts to get something done with McLaurin, the better. With A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf and Deebo Samuel also up for an extension, the price will continue to go up.

 

More troubling allegations have emerged against the Washington Commanders

More trouble for Washington owner Daniel Snyder.

For the second time this week, troubling allegations have emerged against the Washington Commanders. A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports reported Saturday that Washington kept ticket revenue that was supposed to be shared with the other 31 teams.

The House Oversight Committee uncovered the new allegations during its current investigation into the widespread sexual harassment in the workplace. Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported alleged financial improprieties by the Commanders during the same investigation. Washington responded to the new allegations.

NFL bylaws state that every team is required to pass along 40% of ticket sales from each home game to the NFL, which then distributes the profits to the visiting teams.

Per Perez, the Commanders and the NFL learned about these allegations in recent weeks. It isn’t clear how long this went on, or if this is directly connected to the Washington Post’s report of financial improprieties.

If these allegations prove to be true, could this be what ends owner Daniel Snyder’s tenure? While the other owners have overlooked Snyder’s other transgressions, this one directly impacts the other owners.

Of course, the allegations must be proven. As of this writing, Washington has yet to respond.

Ron Rivera on Chase Young: 2021 season was an ‘awakening’

Ron Rivera: “For us, I hope that the realization that we hadn’t arrived has set in and that just showing up is not good enough.”

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The 2021 season was a forgettable one for Washington defensive end Chase Young. The 2020 NFL defensive rookie of the year played in nine games and recorded only 1.5 sacks before tearing his ACL in November.

Much of the drama last offseason was Young skipping voluntary offseason workouts. While that didn’t necessarily correlate to Young’s struggles last season, head coach Ron Rivera would prefer his young star pass-rusher be with the team.

In his chat with reporters Tuesday at the NFL owner’s meetings and the coach discussed Young and his disappointing 2021 season.

“I think for Chase, it was a little bit of an awakening, a little bit of a realization,” Rivera said via Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington.

Young has mostly stayed away from the spotlight as he works back from his knee injury. Rivera has been impressed with Young’s recovery and expects him to be present for the offseason.

“In my conversations with him, he said he’s going to be here, and I’m pretty excited to see him here,” Rivera said.

That’s encouraging news for Rivera and Washington. While it is within Young’s rights to skip offseason activities, it is one less distraction for a team that hopes to rebound from a 7-10 season, which saw the defense take steps backward.

One quote that stood out from Rivera on Tuesday and this wasn’t about Young in particular, but the entire team:

“For us, I hope that the realization that we hadn’t arrived has set in and that just showing up is not good enough,” Rivera said.

Washington to work out kickers on Tuesday

Has Washington finally seen enough of Dustin Hopkins?

Has Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera finally seen enough of kicker Dustin Hopkins?

On Monday, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that Washington would work out kicker Lirim Hajrullahu, among others. Hajrullahu is a two-time CFL All-Star and has spent time on the practice squad of the Rams, Panthers, and, most recently, the Cowboys.

Hajrullahu spent six seasons in the CFL kicking for Winnipeg, Toronto and Hamilton.

While Pelissero reported the Colts were working Sam Sloman, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post confirmed Sloman will also work out for Washington.

Sloman, 24, kicked collegiately at Miami of Ohio. He initially won the kicking job for the Rams in 2020, beating out Hajrullahu. He was waived in late October after making eight of 11 attempts and was 18 of 21 on point-after attempts.

In November, he signed with the Titans’ practice squad and was elevated to the main roster for the final game. He was released in January. He signed with the Steelers in July and was waived in August.

One thing Sloman has working for him is his nickname, which is the “Kosher Cannon.”

Hopkins is under fire again after missing a 42-yard attempt on Sunday against the Chiefs. Hopkins, who has been with Washington since 2015, has connected on 12 of 14 field-goal attempts in 2021 and 10 of 12 on point-after attempts.

Rivera has stood by Hopkins and recently said one of the reasons Washington hasn’t pursued a replacement is the lack of legitimate options.

Washington has briefly carried two different kickers on the practice squad in 2021, so that could be an option.

 

Washington signs TE Jace Sternberger, puts TE Logan Thomas on IR

Washington is adding a tight end to its 53-man roster, signing Jace Sternberger off the Seahawks’ practice squad.

Washington was dealt a blow when tight end Logan Thomas suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s game against Atlanta, forcing him to miss some time. We now know that he’ll be out at least three weeks after the team placed him on injured reserve Wednesday.

To take his place on the 53-man roster, Washington signed tight end Jace Sternberger off the Seahawks’ practice squad.

Sternberger spent last season with the Packers, catching 12 passes for 114 yards and one touchdown. He came into the NFL as a third-round pick by Green Bay in 2019 but has played just 18 games in his career.

Ricky Seals-Jones played 93% of the offensive snaps against the Falcons so he’ll help replace Thomas, but Sternberger is also an option at tight end.

Alex Smith could find a landing spot with the Houston Texans

Former Washington QB Alex Smith could potentially find a home with the Houston Texans this offseason.

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If there is one team in the NFL that has been in the news for a lot of the wrong reasons this offseason, it’s the Houston Texans. While they continue to try and find the answer at the quarterback position with Deshaun Watson demanding a trade before all of his off-the-field drama came to light, the Texans continue to seemingly get in their own way and have a tough time pleasing a lot of fans.

In many ways, they sound a lot like the Washington Football Team, which has been continually in the news for less than ideal reasons over the years and is still searching for a franchise QB.

Now there is another way that the two teams can be alike, with former Washington quarterback Alex Smith potentially landing with the Texans.

Houston makes sense for Smith, especially if he desires to continue playing or starting. The Texans signed Tyrod Taylor this offseason, and with the future of Watson anything but certain, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Smith come in and work to secure a starting spot.

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