We have to wonder if Dwayne Haskins and James Harden run in the same circles.
Videos have surfaced of both — professional athletes — at gentlemen’s clubs.
Haskins is a quarterback for the Washington Football Team while NBA superstar Harden is a shooting guard for the Houston Rockets.
For now.
While partying at a gentlemen’s club is hardly against the rules — even those put in place by professional sporting franchises — 2020 has been anything but normal. The biggest issue isn’t even that they were at strip clubs, separately, amid the COVID pandemic, it’s that they were both caught on video not wearing masks, which has been a protocol that has been stressed in both the NFL and NBA, among other sporting leagues in an attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Both have been criticized, some even calling into question whether both will be with their respective teams much longer, because of the perceived health/COVID risks their actions run.
Haskins was outed when several entertainers at an undisclosed DC-area strip club were all photographed wearing Haskins jerseys, and (of course) said photo was posted to Instagram. Haskins, who apologized to the team and via his social media as soon as his club foray was discovered, may have to miss his next start, Sunday Dec. 27. Harden’s start to the season (tonight, Dec. 23) may be in jeopardy as well if he doesn’t clear COVID testing protocols.
The Washington Football Team has made it known it is aware of Haskins’ activity; they’ve been in contact with the NFL and are handling the matter internally, which will most likely result in a fine at the least, termination of Haskins’ contract at the worst.
For his part, James Harden has become known across the NBA as someone who enjoys partaking in gentlemen’s club entertainment. whose social media tracks have seen him jet setting across the country flaunting his lavish lifestyle, is more secure in his job status if only because he’s owed roughly $133 million over the next three years. But rumors abound of Harden’s desire for a change in scenery so his actions may simply be an (unprofessional) attempt to hasten his departure from Houston.
According to ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon, this isn’t Harden’s first foray with strip clubs. In a story from earlier this month, MacMahon chronicled how Harden essentially had carte blanche in Houston to basically do whatever he wanted, including being late.
This was a needling point with one of Harden’s former teammate, Russell Westbrook, who has since been traded away. According to MacMahon, “Houston’s casual culture appalled Westbrook. … Westbrook didn’t tolerate tardiness. With the Rockets, scheduled departure times were treated as mere suggestions by Harden and others. … On one occasion in the Florida bubble, Harden waited to get his daily COVID-19 testing until just before the Rockets’ film session was scheduled to start. When he wasn’t on time, Westbrook barked, “Start the film! Start without him!” D’Antoni explained that they’d just have to start over when Harden arrived, which didn’t do much to calm Westbrook.”
Matt Keohan, over at BroBible even ranked top possible trade destinations for Harden based on his affinity for strip clubs. His list, in order:
5) New Orleans Pelicans
4) Atlanta Hawks
3) Miami Heat
2) Toronto Raptors (or Tampa Bay Raptors for the time being)
1) Portland Trail Blazers
So, did Matt get it right? Where do you think Harden should go to maximize his strip club potential?