Dan Snyder was 'supportive' of decision to release Haskins

Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder was supportive of the decision to release Haskins. Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

WFT owner Dan Snyder was 'supportive' of decision to release Dwayne Haskins

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 12/30/20

The current coaching staff of the Washington Football Team never truly bought into Dwayne Haskins as a franchise quarterback. After 13 starts with the franchise, Ron Rivera decided to release the former Ohio State star on Monday.

On Wednesday, Rivera addressed the decision to release Haskins and revealed that team owner Dan Snyder was supportive of the call despite being very high on the 23-year-old at the time the franchise drafted him.

Ron Rivera on QB Dwayne Haskins: "I made a decision that I just felt on Monday that was the right decision going forward. I informed the owner ... he was supportive, and I felt it was in the best interest of both parties moving forward."
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) December 30, 2020

Some of the biggest concerns surrounding Haskins were centered around his maturity, and his COVD-19 violations likely pushed the team to release him before the season ends. The 23-year-old twice violated COVID-19 protocols this season. After the second incident, he was stripped of his captaincy and fined $40,000 by the team.

Haskins was supposed to usher in a new era of football in Washington when he was selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. In his second season with the club, he became Rivera's third option behind Kyle Allen and veteran quarterback Alex Smith.

Haskins went unclaimed on waivers and is now free to sign with any team, but it's unlikely he lands a deal before the 2020 season is over. However, the Carolina Panthers are among several teams interested in him, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

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