A football organization extends far beyond the football field, and in Washington the portion of the football organization extending beyond the football field appears to be in disarray.
Chris Russell of 106.7 The Fan in D.C. said Wednesday that Washington has endured a “mass exodus” of employees since January.
“I’ve been told this by multiple, multiple people,” Russell said. “Almost 40 people have left, behind the scenes. We’re not talking about football players or coaches or anything like that. . . . Nobody wants to work there. It’s a terrible culture.”
That won’t come as a terrible shock to anyone who has been paying attention to the team in recent years, highlighted by the clumsy termination of G.M. Scot McCloughan.
While responsibility for the business ultimately rests with owner Daniel Snyder, the focal point of criticism has been, and continues to be, team president Bruce Allen.
“Everybody thinks on my end that I just have it out for Bruce Allen,” Russell said. “If I’m being honest, I don’t think he’s a good leader. I don’t think he’s a good person, I don’t think he treats people well. . . . Nobody wants to work there. Nobody believes in the direction and the leadership of that franchise.”
Allen has managed to finagle a position that makes him immune from accountability for the performance of the football team, even though he still has fingerprints all over the football operation.
“From everything that I here, there is this split between the coaching staff and Bruce, where the coaching staff kind of thinks it’s all a joke and they’re wondering, ‘What the hell are you guys doing?’” Russell said.
Through it all, a vague sense of optimism regarding the team has emerged, highlighted by the selection of quarterback Dwayne Haskins and the ability to trade back into round one and (potentially) steal pass rusher Montez Sweat. And there’s nothing like winning to alter the perception of a football team. The problem is that Washington hasn’t done much winning since winning Super Bowl XXVI -- the team hasn’t even been back to the NFC Championship game since then, which ties them with the Lions for the longest drought in the conference.