The agent for Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson had some harsh words for whoever in the Washington organization was responsible for an ill-conceived statement that alluded to Robinson being shot earlier this year.
On Wednesday evening, a statement from the Commanders slammed Washington D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine's plan to make a "major announcement" pertaining to the franchise at a Thursday news conference and took a swipe at the city in the process.
In the statement, the Commanders alleged Racine's office was focusing on its investigation of the team while failing to combat violence in the city including Robinson being shot twice during an attempted robbery in August. (There have since been two arrests made in relation to the shooting of Robinson.)
"Less than three months ago, a 23-year-old player on our team was shot multiple times, in broad daylight," the Commanders' statement began. 'Despite the out-of-control violent crime in DC, today the Washington Commanders learned for the first time on Twitter that the D.C. Attorney General will be holding a press conference to 'make a major announcement' related to the organization tomorrow."
Robinson's agent, Ryan Williams of Athletes First, said he was disappointed by the remarks.
"Up until an hour ago, the Commanders handled the Brian Robinson situation with so much care, sincerity and class," Williams said on Twitter. "And I was so grateful for all of it.
"Although I know that there are some great humans in that building, whoever is hiding behind this statement is not one of them."
Team president Jason Wright later expressed his support for D.C. law enforcement and attributed the statement to "external counsel."
The Commanders' initial statement came hours after Racine's office announced Thursday's news conference.
The attorney general has reportedly been investigating alleged financial improprieties within the Commanders organization, which surfaced around the time that the U.S. House Committee for Oversight and Reform, which was investigating the franchise's workplace issues, referred the case to the Federal Trade Commission.
Aside from the Robinson remarks, the Commanders said they had cooperated fully with Racine's investigation and they were surprised by the apparent impending "major" news.
“The Commanders have fully cooperated with the AG’s investigation for nearly a year,” the spokesperson said. “As recently as Monday, a lawyer for the team met with the AG, who did not suggest at that time that he intended to take any action and, in fact, revealed fundamental misunderstandings of the underlying facts.”
Racine's announcement comes as rumors have intensified about a potential sale of the team. Last week, team owners Dan and Tanya Snyder announced they had hired Bank of America to explore a potential sale.
Robinson, meanwhile, has made a full recovery from the shooting, and made his professional debut in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, the soonest possible date after he was placed on the four-week injured reserve after the incident. D.C. police arrested two teenage suspects in the shooting last week.
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