Dwayne Haskins was punished by Washington after he attended a party on Sunday night, but the quarterback wants to clarify that he was not at a strip club.
Washington head coach Ron Rivera announced on Wednesday that the team has fined Haskins over the incident. Haskins was also reportedly stripped of his captainship. The former Ohio State star addressed the media after Rivera’s announcement and once again apologized for his actions. Haskins said he was at a private birthday party for his girlfriend but acknowledged that he violated the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols.
Dwayne Haskins said he accepted the punishment and that he "deserved it."
Haskins said he was not at a strip club. He was at a private birthday party for his girlfriend. He said he was in violation of not wearing a mask in a public setting with more than 10 people.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) December 23, 2020
Dwayne Haskins: "It was all self-provoked. I need to be man enough to overcome it and help this win."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) December 23, 2020
Haskins was not scheduled to speak with the media on Wednesday, but he supposedly called Washington’s PR department and “demanded” they set it up. He apologized with a statement on Twitter Tuesday, but Haskins said he did not feel that was enough.
You have to respect that Haskins wanted to hold himself accountable, but the situation showed a total lack of focus and concern for his teammates. Washington can clinch the NFC East title with a win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and Haskins is their only option at quarterback because of injuries.
This also isn’t the first time Haskins has been fined for a coronavirus-related violation this season. The timing could not have been worse.
