Yahoo Finance Dwayne Haskins says Washington owner Daniel Snyder told him not to return to Giants game after ankle injury
Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins left Sunday’s game against the New York Giants with an ankle injury early in the third quarter.
He was initially listed as questionable after the sack that knocked him out of the game.
He wanted to return after X-rays came back negative, but said he had to be talked down by team owner Daniel Synder.
Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins said owner Dan Snyder told him not to return to the game after his injury. Haskins said X-rays were negative but he will get an MRI. Haskins said he lobbied to return but obviously failed. https://t.co/SdJXaU7Er1
— John Keim (@john_keim) December 22, 2019
Dr. Dan Snyder?
Wait, what? Snyder’s making medical evaluations and communicating directly with players during the game about their status?
Well. Not exactly. After the rookie quarterback told reporters the owner was making in-game decisions, Washington’s public-relations staff rushed to clarify.
The initial evaluation was made by team Dr. Robin West, who advised Haskins not to return. Snyder only told Haskins to listen to West’s advice, according to a team spokesperson.
A Redskins spokesperson said that owner Dan Snyder told Dwayne Haskins to listen to the medical advice from Dr. Robin West and her advice was Haskins should not go back in.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) December 22, 2019
Haskins, who was likely advised of his rookie public-relations mistake, later made the same clarification on Twitter.
I need to clarify something from my press conference. Dr. West advised me that I was done for this game. Dan Snyder who was in the locker room supporting me, told me I’ve got to listen to the Doctor. Looking forward to getting back healthy for Skins Nation. #HTTR
— Dwayne Haskins, Jr🌹 (@dh_simba7) December 22, 2019
So Snyder wasn’t playing team doctor and head coach in the middle of the game. But would anybody have really been surprised if he was?
Regularly rated as one of the least-competent owners in professional sports, Snyder has an illustrious history of making dubious decisions. And it still sounds like he’s meddling with in-game decisions from the owner’s box.
The race for Chase
Of course, Haskins not returning was the right call regardless of who made it. With the season long lost and a week away from being over, there was no upside for Washington to play its first-round rookie on an injured ankle. In fact, losing at this point in the season is the long-term strategic play.
The Cincinnati Bengals clinched the first pick in the draft by losing to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and will presumably select LSU quarterback Joe Burrow in April.
That leaves Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young — widely considered the top talent in the draft — as the likely No. 2 pick. And a win over the Giants would have given New York a leg up on the league’s second-worst record and inside track to the Buckeyes edge rusher.
Whether Haskins’ presence on the field would have helped or hurt that cause is up for debate. Case Keenum took over in the second half to rally from a 14-point deficit and force overtime. But the Giants prevailed, 41-35, dropping Washington to 3-12, a game ahead of the 4-11 Giants in the race to the second-worst record in football.
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