Scot McCloughan’s time as the general manager in Washington came to an odd finish and he was officially fired from the position Thursday, the team announced.
Washington fires GM Scot McCloughan after turbulent 2 years
A team official told the Washington Post that Scot McCloughan “has been a disaster for 18 months.”
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
“We wish him success in his future endeavors,” team president Bruce Allen said in a statement given to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. “The team will have no further comment on his departure. The organization remains confident in our personnel department as we execute our free agency plans as well as prepare for the upcoming NFL draft.”
The reason for his firing was due to “multiple relapses due to alcohol,” according to a Washington Post’s report. A team official told the Post that McCloughan “showed up in the locker room drunk on multiple occasions. ... This has been a disaster for 18 months.”
McCloughan was previously an executive with the Seattle Seahawks and before that was the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers just prior to Jim Harbaugh’s arrival. His firing from both of those jobs was reportedly due to his ongoing problems with alcohol, as well.
His agent, Peter Schaffer, disputed those claims Thursday, though. On an appearance on PFT Live, Schaffer said that his client’s absence was unrelated to alcohol and he was “very healthy” and “doing stuff to help the team move forward.”
The Washington Post noted that six players interviewed in Thursday all said they had never seen McCloughan drink in the locker room. He had been absent from the team for much of the beginning of the 2017 offseason and was not at the NFL Combine due to a “death in the family.”
In an article Wednesday, the Washington Post wrote that the relationship between McCloughan and Allen deteriorated to the point that a return for the general manager was “virtually impossible.”
McCloughan has grown increasingly frustrated by ongoing friction with Allen over personnel decisions and with the team’s failure to come to his defense when former tight end Chris Cooley said on the Redskins-owned radio station that McCloughan’s drinking may explain his absence.
Another contentious point between the two was reportedly over the handling of the contract of Kirk Cousins. McCloughan had reportedly told people around the league that he would have signed the quarterback to a long-term deal in 2016 “if he had full control,” but was rebuffed by Allen.
Washington will move on without McCloughan at a difficult time, with Cousins reportedly asking for a trade from the team and several free agents — DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Chris Baker — opting to play elsewhere.
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