Bruce Allen says it was in Redskins’ best interest to fire Scot McCloughan
Mar 27
Despite public assurance that Scot McCloughan would return to work, Redskins President Bruce Allen said he concluded it was in the team’s interest to fire its general manager March 9, the opening day of free agency and the start of the new NFL calendar year, to signal a change in direction, Liz Clarke of the Washington Post reports.
“I thought it was the right thing to do for where we were at the time,” Allen said Sunday, making his first public comments about McCloughan’s ouster since the Redskins abruptly fired him two years and two months into his four-year contract. “We wanted to give clarity to our free agents and to our staff of where we were going. For Scot, it was good timing because it allows him to be hired by anyone right now before this draft.”
In an interview at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, where NFL owners are holding their annual meeting over the next four days, Allen acknowledged personal disappointment over the failed relationship, noting his respect for McCloughan’s ability and his own working relationship with McCloughan’s father and brother, both scouts, while with the Oakland Raiders.
“I enjoyed working with them and the success we had in Oakland. Obviously that’s what I envisioned when I brought Scot to the Redskins,” Allen said of his hand-picked general manager. “So, yes, I’m disappointed it didn’t work out. I hope it works out for him in the future. My responsibility is to the Redskins and the organization and the scouts and the players on this team.”
Allen wouldn’t comment on the detailed account of a Redskins official that McCloughan’s alcohol dependency impaired his performance. “It’s just not the Scot situation; I wouldn’t talk about private conversations I’ve had with anyone,” Allen said. “Our team is a family.”