

(Joshua Yospyn/For The Washington Post)

Chris Cooley has said on his ESPN 980 radio show that Mike Shanahan did not enjoy dealing with conflict, and that he would avoid hard conversations because of that. The latest example of that came Wednesday, when Redskins wide receiver (and D.C. native) Joshua Morgan went on 106.7 The Fan to talk about being recognized for the incredible number of community service appearances he made last season.

Morgan, of course, fell out of favor with the coaching staff and became an afterthought by the end of this season.

Josh Morgan to @ESPNRadio980 on being deactivated “It was one last whatever. ..whatever the Shanahan’s are trying to prove. ” #Redskins — Chris Russell (@Russellmania980) December 29, 2013

So, after talking about community service for a bit, Grant Paulsen asked what happened in 2013.

“Honestly and truly, that’s something I couldn’t really answer, because I have no clue,” Morgan said. “A lot of my teammates didn’t understand why, didn’t have a clue. My family, nobody had a clue what happened. … I’m gonna just leave it at that. Nobody has any idea. I definitely don’t have a clue. I’m still clueless. And before those guys left, I would have loved a real explanation. I just wanted to understand why, but you can’t cry over [spilled] milk. They put me in a tough situation and I gotta overcome adversity all over again, so I’m gonna just leave it at that.”

Paulsen asked the natural question: Why didn’t Morgan just go ask Shanahan what was going on if he was so confused.

“I tried to have many conversations with Coach Shanahan,” Morgan said. “It got to the point where he knew I was gonna come talk to him, so I guess he started locking his door. Or I really don’t know. I really don’t know what it was. He knew, they knew I was not happy with a lot that was going on. I guess they were just banking on the fact that, me being a good guy and me doing so much in the community, that I was just going to be quiet and just take it. But I feel like any type of man – even yourselves – I feel like when it comes to your career and you don’t understand what’s going on, and you’re put in a situation where basically somebody else is in control of your career, and they’re putting your career in jeopardy for no apparent reason, then you’re gonna go talk to that man too, right?”

Finally, Danny Rouhier asked Morgan — who will be a free agent — whether he had anything he wanted to say to the team’s fans. Turns out he had quite a bit to say.

“After my couple years, I kind of was at the top of the mountain, and then we kind of fell from grace,” Morgan said. “Me being a Redskins fan, being born and raised in Washington D.C., living right down the street from RFK Stadium, seeing all the games, hearing some of the games from my house on my grandmother’s porch, looking down at RFK and seeing the stadium bouncing up and down when we played the Cowboys, seeing all of those type of things — for me to be part of that team last year and contribute the way I did last year and help take us back to the playoffs, just to bring the excitement back and be a part of that, it was definitely a blessing and a dream come true.

“Although we fell short, it was still a great achievement, because like I said, it was a 10-year [division title] drought,” Morgan went on. “As Redskins fans, we all know we’re gonna ride or die with our team, we’re gonna stick together and we’re gonna fight, and we keep praying for the best. Just know the players are defintely going to give the fans all that we’ve got, every day. I mean, even the situation that I was in last year, with how the Shanahans [used] me, every time I was out there I tried to do all I could. I always play for my city, I always play for my family and I always play for Redskins Nation.

“With that being said, just know that I haven’t met this new coach yet, but I’m sure he has a great plan to get us back to winning, get us back to the playoffs and just get us back to where we need to be,” Morgan said. “I’m sure they have a great plan, and I’m sure he’s going to hire a great staff that’s going to allow all of us, as players, to maximize our talents. I’m sure they’re going to utilize each and every one of us. I know there’s more to it in the NFL than just football, so I know some business decisions are going to be made. But as far as football, for the fans, just know that last year was probably the worst that we could have did, and it definitely won’t be that way next year.”

(Listen to the audio here. First transcribed by Chris Lingebach.)