By Chris Bergeron, Staff Writer, & Emdad Swapan, News Editor
With The NFL season a few months away and the NFL Draft just a week away, we sat down with veteran journalist & ESPN NFL reporter John Keim, who covers the Washington Commanders. Sadly this month, former Washington first round quarterback Dwayne Haskins passed away at the age of 25. Haskins was hit by a vehicle in South Florida. Haskins was also from the DMV area going to Bullis High School in Potomac, Maryland. Keim had the pleasure of covering him for his two years with the organization. Keim knew about Haskins before he was drafted by the Redskins, being a fan of Ohio State University. Haskins wasn’t the starter for OSU in his sophomore year, but in the biggest game of the year against their rivals, the Michigan Wolverines, the starting QB at the time JT Barrett suffered an injury. Haskins entered the game with his team trailing in the second half and led them to a touchdown on his first down. In that drive on the play — Ohio State fans know it as the “Third and 13” play. Haskins threw a completion that made Keim realize “this kid is playing on Sundays cause that was a Sunday throw.”
Once the draft process started after Haskins’ junior year, Keim dug more in on Haskins “He goes from a guy who only starts a year or two in college to a likely first round pick.” During Haskins’ time in Washington, Keim said “I had the opportunity to sit down with him and I always enjoyed those conversations. He was always respectful and kind.” Keim also said “I never heard anyone say anything other than he is a good kid… People liked him, they wanted to see him do well.”
Free agency is a month in and there have been big moves around the NFL such as a week full of blockbuster trades, which included Russell Wilson being traded to Denver and Tom Brady coming out of a short retirement. The Washington Commanders have made a few moves, most notably with the acquisition of quarterback Carson Wentz from Indianapolis. “Wentz is an upgrade from what they had. He's a legitimate quarterback. The quarterback position was the biggest spot they had to fill.”
Multiple reports say that Commanders’ owner Daniel Snyder is facing a new problem which he has never faced before: being forced to sell the Washington Commanders. This all depends on if the new league-run and congressional probes support numerous allegations of workplace and financial malpractice. On Snyder, Keim said, “Snyder won’t be selling yet, we still need to learn more about the FTC investigation. If the FTC decides to investigate, that could take 9-10 months.” He added, “24 league owners would have to vote him out, and what if those other owners are doing some of the same stuff? If they vote this guy out, he’s maybe going after them for doing the same things.”
Keim has this advice for aspiring journalists, “Be persistent, learn how to ask good questions, because that’s how you get good information. If you’re a journalist/reporter, you have to be persistent. Same way you’d build relationships in your personal life, that’s what you have to do.”
Talking about his current role at ESPN, he said, “For ESPN, I have to be a good writer, but I also go on radio and have my own podcast. You have to learn and handle different things like TV and video.” He added, “This business has changed, but what hasn’t changed is asking good questions, being persistent, and building relationships. That will always be the cornerstone of this industry.”
Keim has covered Washington for a good amount of time, so he surely has some memorable moments, but there is one he’ll never forget. “The biggest story I’ve covered is Redskins Safety Sean Taylor’s death in 2007. Because of what it meant being around people who were grieving. To be around that situation, feel the pain, and to walk in the locker room and see his empty locker, it’s just unforgettable.” One of his most memorable seasons covering the team is one many fans remember: Robert Griffin III’s 2012 rookie season because of the “energy and excitement around the team.” On covering the team and being a part of the “Commander’s beat,” he said, “Covering the Commanders is pretty good. While early on in my career there was sometimes tension in the press room with a couple guys who believed that you had to hate your competitor in order to compete against them. Now people realize that you can compete with someone in the industry and be their friend.” He emphasized, “We do have fun, those are my friends, I know them more than my colleagues at ESPN because this is who I’m with everyday.” We want to thank John Keim for taking time to sit down with us. He has been an important figure in our area for all around reporting and insight on the Washington Commanders!