Report: Josh Norman Benched vs. Saints for Wearing Headphones During Halftime
October 12, 2018
Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman may have paid the price for literally tuning out of head coach Jay Gruden's halftime talk during a 43-19 defeat to the New Orleans Saints on Monday at the Superdome.
Washington, D.C., radio personality Kevin Sheehan reported Friday that Norman didn't take off his headphones during Gruden's speech. As a result, the coach benched him in the second half. The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg shared a transcript of the discussion:
Dan Steinberg @dcsportsbogSo here's something. Kevin Sheehan, longtime host of the Skins pregame show, reported on his podcast today that Josh Norman was benched last week for not taking his headphones off during Gruden's halftime talk. Here's Sheehan's report. Listen here https://t.co/KDjbTIAx36 https://t.co/CryxCD14Ot
ESPN.com's John Keim offered more perspective on the story:
At the time, some wondered whether Norman's benching was performance-based. He and his fellow defensive backs were unable to stop Drew Brees in the first half.
Norman in particular looked culpable for the 62-yard touchdown pass to Tre'Quan Smith that made Brees the NFL's all-time leading passer.
Gruden played down the issue immediately after the game.
"We talked about some things at halftime," he said of Norman, per the Washington Post's Kareem Copeland. "Had to cool him down a little bit. Everything's fine. It'll be back to normal, and he'll play the rest of the year."
More concerning than the reason for Norman's benching, Sheehan reported: "There is not a lot of good vibes when it comes to Norman among several of the coaches right now. They're hopeful he begins to play better."
Norman won't be going anywhere this season. He counts for $16.9 million against the salary cap, so finding a trade suitor would be next to impossible. And releasing Norman outright would mean adding $16.5 million in dead money, per Over the Cap.
Were Washington to cut Norman in the offseason, he'd count for $6 million in dead money but provide $8.5 million in cap savings.