Ron Rivera finally admits Dwayne Haskins had issues with work ethic

Dwayne Haskins’ release by the Washington Football Team was a bit surprising at the time, but it sounds like the organization was simply reacting to what it saw.

In a podcast interview with FOX Sports host Colin Cowherd, Washington coach Ron Rivera admitted that he saw issues with Haskins’ effort and commitment. Rivera said that Haskins “puts in the time, and then he doesn’t.” Rivera added that Haskins can still succeed in the NFL, but needs to learn to “prioritize.”

(3/3) In a podcast interview with Colin Cowherd that published today, Rivera finally flat-out it said Haskins' work ethic and commitment was an issue (which we knew): pic.twitter.com/CECUokHjfO

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) March 13, 2021

It’s not the first time we’ve heard about Haskins’ work ethic issues, but it is the first time someone affiliated with the organization said so publicly. Haskins’ on-field play was an issue, but probably not the primary one. It was the lack of improvement, and the apparent unwillingness to work to get better. Washington took away his starting job after four weeks in 2020, and the team likely hoped that would function as a wake-up call. Instead, his behavior just got even more baffling.

Haskins has since signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and there seems to be some optimism there that they can help fix his issues. If they can’t, it’s probably not happening.