Report: Almost 40 Employees Left Redskins After Brian Lafemina's Exit

Washington reportedly saw almost 40 employees leave after the NFC East team fired president of business operations and COO Brian Lafemina in December.

Chris Russell of 106.7 The Fan said as much on The Sports Junkies show on Wednesday. Chief marketing officer Steve Ziff, chief commercial officer Todd Kline and senior vice president of consumer sales Jake Bye were also among those who left the organization.

"Almost 40 employees behind the scenes have left since January, since they fired (Brian) Lafemina and his crew," Russell said. "I've been told this by multiple, multiple people. Almost 40 people have left, behind the scenes. We're not talking about football players or coaches or anything like that. ... Nobody wants to work there. It's a terrible culture."

Les Carpenter of the Washington Post reported in January that president Bruce Allen took over his old position of overseeing the business side of the team when Lafemina was fired a mere eight months into his tenure.

Russell noted the majority of the departures came from the business side, although he added: "From everything that I hear, there is this split between the coaching staff and Bruce, where the coaching staff kind of thinks it's all a joke and they're wondering, 'What the hell are you guys doing?'"

Washington hired Allen during the 2009 campaign to be the general manager.

"His tenure has been filled with controversy, including battles with [Mike] Shanahan, fiascos surrounding star players such as quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Donovan McNabb and last month's waiver claim of former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster, who had been cut after an arrest on domestic violence charges," Carpenter wrote in January. "Those charges were dropped this month."

Carpenter also pointed to a desire from many in the team's fanbase to see Allen fired thanks in no small part to struggles on the field.

Washington has made the playoffs just twice since it hired Allen and is yet to win a postseason game. The organization's last playoff win came during the 2005 season, and it has a mere three playoff victories since lifting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the 1991 campaign.

While the selection of quarterback Dwayne Haskins in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft provides some hope for the future, there are apparently more issues within the organization than just the on-field push to become a competitive team in the NFC East.