(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
By Hanna Park
(WASHINGTON) The Washington Football Team released second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins on Monday.
“This afternoon I met with Dwayne and informed him that we would be releasing him,” Washington head coach Ron Rivera said in a statement. “I told him that I believe it benefits both parties that we go our separate ways. We want to thank Dwayne for his contributions these last two seasons and wish him well moving forward.”
According to ESPN, Hawkins wrote in a tweet, "I take full responsibility for not meeting the standards of [an] NFL QB & will become a better man & player because of this experience."
His account currently remains private.
The release comes a week after a maskless Haskins was caught on social media partying at his girlfriend’s birthday party with strippers, hours after losing to Seattle. Washington fined the 23-year-old player $40,000 for his second COVID-19 protocol violation this season and revoked his role as team captain. Previously, Haskins was fined for making a reservation for a friend at the team hotel the night before a game.
This marks another demise for Haskins, who was benched after a 30-10 loss to Baltimore. Haskins was drafted 15th overall by Washington in 2019 and will count $8.5 million in dead cap space next year.
Current and former NFL players and a former NFL team executive offered words of encouragement and initial reactions on social media.