Washington QB Dwayne Haskins Back in Fold After Strip Club Apology

In spite of it all, it appears quarterback Dwayne Haskins will again start for the Washington Football Team this weekend.

Reports out of Washington say Haskins is taking practice reps with first teamers, which normally wouldn't come as a surprise, given that starter Alex Smith is injured. What makes Haskins' situation newsworthy is that he recently had to apologize for violating the NFL's COVID-19 protocols after pictures of him at a strip club surfaced Sunday night.

"I want to publicly apologize for my actions this past Sunday,” Haskins tweeted after getting caught. “I spoke with Coach (Ron) Rivera yesterday and took full accountability for putting the team at risk. It was irresponsible and immature of me and I accept responsibility for my action. I also want to apologize for creating a distraction for my team during our playoff push. I will learn and grow from this and do what’s best for the team moving forward.”

Apparently, doing what's best is continuing to try to lead the Washington Football Team to the playoffs in Smith's absence. A win Sunday vs. the Carolina Panthers would come real close to clinching the NFC East and becoming the division's lone postseason representative.

But Washington (6-8) hasn't had much success with Haskins behind center. That is why he was benched in favor of Smith. With Smith, Washington won four straight and took over the division lead. Haskins returned last week, and the team endured another loss.

Anyway, it looks like Haskins will start another game, the biggest of the season to this point. A Washington win and New York Giants loss at Baltimore clinches the division. It will be up to Haskins to, ahem, strip down the Panthers' defense. Despite the COVID violations, he is indeed getting that chance.