Dwayne Haskins made his first start in over two months on Sunday, and it did not take long for the Washington quarterback to find his name in the headlines for the wrong reason.
Some photos and videos that have circulated on social media this week showed Haskins partying at a strip club without a mask on. There was initially some uncertainty over whether it was actually Haskins, but the second-year quarterback issued an apology on Tuesday.
“I want to publicly apologize for my actions this past Sunday. I spoke with Coach Rivera (on Monday) and took full accountability for putting the team at risk,” Haskins wrote on Twitter. “It was irresponsible and immature of me and I accept responsibility for my action. I also want to apologize for creating a distraction for my team during our playoff push. I will learn and grow from this and do what’s best for the team moving forward.”
Haskins made his Twitter account private after releasing the statement.
Below you can see some of the screenshots that led to the scrutiny:
Some of the photos of Haskins that circulated yesterday, including the tweet from @DCBarno, who appeared to notice it first pic.twitter.com/Kl3TZ2sVzD
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) December 22, 2020
ESPN’s John Keim reported on Tuesday that Washington is handling the situation internally and has been in contact with the NFL, as there are now questions regarding whether Haskins violated COVID-19 protocols.
Washington cannot be happy with Haskins. A win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday would clinch the NFC East for the team, and Alex Smith may be unavailable again due to a calf injury. Kyle Allen is out for the season with a dislocated ankle, so Haskins could once again be Washington’s only option.
To make matters worse, Haskins was already fined this season for a violation of COVID-19 protocols. The second-year quarterback is not doing himself or his team any favors.
