Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman was benched at the start of the second half of Monday night’s loss to the New Orleans Saints following a confrontation with head coach Jay Gruden, and details have surfaced regarding what happened between the two.
Kevin Sheehan, who covers the Redskins and hosts a pregame show, first reported that Norman was benched for not taking off his headphones while Gruden was addressing the team during halftime. He also said the headphones were “removed” from Norman’s head at one point and that it was believed Gruden removed them. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed that on Sunday.
From @gmfb Weekend: #Redskins coach Jay Gruden and CB Josh Norman have met about the halftime situation and put it behind them. But building off reporting from @kevinsheehanDC, what happened inside the locker room? pic.twitter.com/BBzXvcRleX
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 14, 2018
“Gruden did not like that Norman’s headphones were on and yanked them off of his head. Norman took them back and put them on the top of his head — not on his ears, but on the top — and got very upset and walked away to remove himself from the situation,” Rapoport said. “When Gruden saw Norman walk away, he said essentially, ‘If you keep walking, you’re not going to start the second half.'”
Sheehan was also told by a source that there is “not a lot of good vibes” between Norman and the Washington coaching staff at the moment. Given some of the comments Norman made about the chemistry with the Redskins last season, that is noteworthy. The All-Pro corner may not have many friends in the nation’s capital.
