The Washington Redskins have fired general manager Scot McCloughan after two seasons, allegedly due to his problems with alcohol.
The Washington Redskins have fired general manager Scot McCloughan after two seasons in charge.
Redskins fire GM Scot McCloughan after two seasons https://t.co/Ceit6x6MLF
— Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) March 10, 2017
The decision to fire McCloughan on the first day of free agency is curious. but the decision to ultimately make the move at some point was expected. McCloughan had been sent home from the team and was not present in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports the decision to fire McCloughan is because of his problems with alcohol.
Prior to becoming general manager of the Redskins, McCloughan served as the San Francisco 49ers Vice President of Player Personnel from 2005-07. In 2008, the 49ers promoted McCloughan to general manager. However, McCloughan was fired after the 2009 season, due to problems with alcohol.
In 2010, McCloughan was hired by the Seattle Seahawks as their senior personnel executive. McCloughan and Seahawks general manager John Schneider helped build Seattle’s Super Bowl 48 winning roster. In April 2014 McCloughan resigned because of his trouble with alcohol.
In Jan. 2015, the Redskins hired McCloughan to help turn around their franchise. In his first season in charge, the Redskins won the division. Since his hiring, McCloughan had been undergoing alcohol treatment.
However, as a source says in Jones’ article, McCloughan went into the Redskins’ locker room when he was drunk on multiple occasions. Jones also mentions that former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley stated on his radio program Feb. 14 that McCloughan’s absence was related to alcohol. The team did not deny Cooley’s statement.
Washington will now need to hire a new general manager. The next general manager will be the fifth hired by owner Daniel Synder in his 18 years of owning the team. In the interim, Bruce Allen will be in charge of the Redskins. Allen served as the team’s general manager from 2009 until 2014. Allen currently serves as the team president.
The firing of McCloughan is the continuation of a terrible off-season for the Redskins. The team had to hire new offensive and defensive coordinators; former offensive coordinator Sean McVay was hired by the Los Angeles Rams as their head coach, while the team fired defensive coordinator Joe Barry.
In free agency, the team lost their top two wide receivers. Pierre Garcon signed with the 49ers and DeSean Jackson signed with Tampa Bay. Franchise-tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins has been rumored to have asked for a trade.