Washington sends QB Dwayne Haskins home with illness

The saga of Dwayne Haskins' tenure with the Washington Football Team took its latest turn on Wednesday. 

As John Keim explained for ESPN, the 23-year-old signal-caller who missed last Sunday's 30-10 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams because of illness was sent home from the team's facility on Wednesday due to what coach Ron Rivera referred to as a gastrointestinal problem. 

Rivera added that Haskins was tested for COVID-19 and is not battling issues related to the coronavirus. 

Haskins likely wouldn't have played against the Rams had he been fully fit, as Rivera relegated the first-round selection from the 2019 NFL Draft to third on the depth chart behind starter Kyle Allen and Comeback Player of the Year candidate Alex Smith. 

Smith made an emotional return to the field for the first time since he suffered a gruesome leg injury in November 2018 after Allen was sidelined against the Rams because of an arm injury and a suspected concussion. Earlier this week, Rivera committed to Allen as his starter for this Sunday's game versus the division-rival New York Giants "if he's healthy."  

Rivera assured reporters last week that he hasn't yet given up on Haskins despite the demotion, and the coach refused to comment on Wednesday about any potentially imminent transaction involving the QB.

"I'm not going to talk about football business," Rivera said. "We'll cross the bridges as we get to them."