In what was been an eventful first day of NFL free agency, General Manager Scot McCloughan’s stint with the Washington Redskins has come to an end after 2 short seasons. From being prevented from speaking with the media at the Senior Bowl to not attending the scouting combine, McCloughan was a disengaged general manager, to say the least. The general manager’s alcohol abuse could have been the contributing factor as to why he was distanced from speaking to the media on certain occasions.
The team released a statement regarding the recent departure of Scot McCloughan:
A statement from Redskins President Bruce Allen. pic.twitter.com/7GAEXOGIvQ
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) March 10, 2017
According to a statement written in the Washington Post, an insider who was close to the situation attributed this decision due to ongoing problems with alcohol.
“An official with direct knowledge of the situation attributed the decision to McCloughan’s ongoing problems with alcohol, which also led to his firing from front-office positions with the San Francisco 49ers in 2010 and Seattle Seahawks in 2014.”
“He’s had multiple relapses due to alcohol,” said the official, who spoke to the Washington Post anonymously, as he was not authorized to speak on these matters “He showed up in the locker room drunk on multiple occasions……This has been a disaster for 18 months.”
The organization managed to have lost two key weapons in their offense with Pierre Garcon, and Desean Jackson as they decided to sign elsewhere during free agency. This leaves the $24 million dollar man Kirk Cousins with limited options to throw the ball to. Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is left with the burden of choosing a hiring a fifth general manager in his 18-year’s with the team.
The timing of this decision could not be any worse during the most important time of the offseason in free agency. An organization with the reputation and the roster of Washington could potentially be key in driving interested players to sign elsewhere, including their own franchise QB, Kirk Cousins. Cousins was expected to sign his franchise tag of $24 million/year contract on Thursday, but confided in owner Dan Snyder and demanded a trade from the team.
In McCloughan’s first season, the team won the division after finishing last in the previous 6 out of 7 seasons. Despite finishing with a winning record both years, the Redskins failed to win a playoff game.
While 2 years remained on the general managers contract, The Washington Post noted that the organization would more likely than not, have to pay the remainder of his contract “Because he is being fired for cause — rather than for philosophical differences or as the result of an internal power struggle — the Redskins likely won’t have to pay McCloughan for the remaining 22 months of his contract.”
