Haskins was wrong to party maskless at a strip club Sunday. But the Washington quarterback’s irresponsible behavior puts him in the vast minority of his fellow pro athletes. On the whole, they’ve followed stringent Covid rules.
Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins was wrong to party maskless at a strip club Sunday. But the irresponsible Covid breach puts him among the vast minority of his fellow pro athletes. As sports leagues try to operate amidst the deadly pandemic, athletes have largely been asked to quarantine and isolate. And on the whole, they’ve followed the stringent guidelines — at least as far as we know. With the pandemic expected to continue for at least the first half of next year — incoming surgeon general Vivek Murthy says it’s realistic to expect vaccines to reach the general population by mid-summer or early fall — leagues will likely still demand players remain disciplined and abstain from most social encounters. Their behavior shows they’re capable of meeting the challenge. It’s probably the biggest reason why every major pro league has successfully finished, or is on track to successfully finish, its pandemic-filled season. The players deserve credit for their social austerity. There are nearly 1,700 active players in the NFL, and Haskins’ strip club rendezvous is the most egregious documented Covid violation — by far. That’s a pretty good percentage, especially considering the average NFL player is in his mid-20s. This week, images surfaced of Haskins partying maskless with strippers on Sunday night. Hours earlier, Haskins started for Washington in its 20-15 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
