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WFT's Dwayne Haskins on Strip Club Incident: Need to Stop Getting in My Own Way

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured ColumnistDecember 23, 2020

Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins (7) before the start of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Susan Walsh/Associated Press

Pictures of Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins appearing at an event with strippers while not wearing a mask surfaced on social media this week.

Haskins told reporters Wednesday that he exercised poor judgment in the situation:

Sam Fortier @Sam4TR

Dwayne Haskins: "I need to stop getting in my own way."

Sam Fortier @Sam4TR

Dwayne Haskins, asked if he feels like this could be his final chance in Washington: "Yeah."

Sam Fortier @Sam4TR

Dwayne Haskins on delivering an apology to his teammates: "It was hard. But when you mess up, you have to be able to admit it."

Before setting his Twitter account to private, Haskins tweeted that he "took full responsibility for putting the team at risk. It was irresponsible and immature and I accept responsibility for my action." He also apologized to his teammates for "creating a distraction during our playoff push."

Dov Kleiman @NFL_DovKleiman

Dwayne Haskins was finally back as a starter [due to injury] and after losing to the #Seahawks, apparently decided to party at a strip club. The team is aware of the posts and are in contact with the league while handling it internally, per @NickiJhabvala https://t.co/z5uYHTQJ19

Haskins, who was voted a captain before the season, reportedly had that title revoked as a part of Washington's internal punishment, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. He was also reportedly fined $40,000. The 23-year-old had already been fined for a previous coronavirus infraction. 

Per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, "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."

Haskins was the starting quarterback to begin the season, though he was later benched following the team's 1-3 start. Washington head coach Ron Rivera told reporters Wednesday that Haskins would be the team's Week 16 starter if Alex Smith is unable to go. 

Haskins has thrown for 1,285 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions this season, completing 62.9 percent of his passes. Washington is just 1-4 in his starts. At 6-8, Washington sits atop the NFC East, with matchups against the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles remaining.