Dwayne Haskins loses captainship over strip club incident

Dwayne Haskins will be active for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers if Alex Smith is forced to sit again with an injury, but the Washington quarterback has faced disciplinary action for his strip club incident.

Haskins spent time at a strip club without a mask on following his first start in over two months on Sunday. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Washington head coach Ron Rivera has stripped him of his captainship as punishment. Haskins was voted a captain by his teammates during the summer.

Rivera told reporters on Wednesday that Haskins has been fined. The team felt a fine was appropriate after examining the way similar situations have been handled around the league this year. Rapoport says the fine was $40,000, which is more than any player has been fined for a COVID-related violation.

Haskins issued a statement on social media Tuesday apologizing after photos and videos showed him partying at a strip club. The timing of the decision was particularly poor, as a win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday would clinch the NFC East for Washington. Smith is nursing a calf injury and Kyle Allen is out for the year after dislocating his ankle.

To make matters worse, Haskins was already fined this season for a different violation of COVID-19 protocols. The second-year quarterback is not exactly stating his case that he should be viewed as a franchise cornerstone.