Commanders franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels was injured on the final play of the first half. As team medical personnel worked on his dislocated left elbow, Daniels’ teammates were seen on the Fox broadcast walking beside him toward the locker room.
Commanders players pushed back against the social media narrative that they abandoned their quarterback.
“It’s stupid what people are saying,” Washington left tackle Brandon Coleman said, via ESPN’s John Keim. “Jay is our guy and he’s been our guy. There is no malice behind it.”
Many players stood on the sidelines watching Daniels being chased, according to Keim, and many turned to his side as trainers popped Daniels’ elbow back into place.
Coach Dan Quinn said what actually happened was “the opposite” of the story that grew out of the short Fox clip.
“When halftime ends, the refs say, ‘Man, I can’t delay halftime. They can’t stay on the court,’ the players say, ‘No, we want to stay,'” Quinn said. “So it’s the opposite of that. They were upset. They love this guy. So the first half was tough and emotional in that space.”
Coleman and linebacker Josh Conerly Jr. were the last players to head to the locker room, along with Quinn and backup quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Athan Kaliakmanis.
“All that stuff is ridiculous,” said Ben Sinnott. “As far as the love and brotherhood we have for Jayden, it’s really strong. We’ve seen how hard he’s worked to get where he’s been.
“It was a weird situation. People were trying to figure out what was going on, and they wanted to give the coaches space to do that. You don’t want to crowd the guy. Obviously, the guys are taking a step back and giving him space, praying, and we all came back.
“All that stuff is nonsense.”