Chris Cooley effectively was ousted when the Washington Football Team announced DeAngelo Hall and Bram Weinstein would be completing their gameday radio broadcast. But, the former Washington tight end confirmed he knew of his fate months back.
Senior vice president of media and content Julie Donaldson wanted to clear the air the decision to remove Cooley came before she was appointed the position last month.
Cooley told Team 980’s Kevin Sheehan he has “no hard feelings” for choosing to go in another direction.
Cooley played nine seasons with Washington before joining the team’s radio booth in 2013. He said he is no longer part of the organization in any capacity.
As for his replacement, Hall?
Cooley wants Washington fans to give the former defensive back a chance, much like they did for him.
“I think DeAngelo Hall is going to be pretty good at it. I think people should give him a chance. I think Bram’s going to work hard, and you’ve got to give guys a chance. Something completely new like this is hard for someone who gets used to things. I think it was hard for me when I started, because replacing Sam [Huff] was huge. A lot of people didn’t like me in the first year, so I think you just give DeAngelo Hall a chance, I think he’ll do a good job, and give Bram a chance.”
Cooley replaced former Washington linebacker Sam Huff when he retired following the 2012 season. Huff had spent 38 years in the team’s broadcasting booth.
As for his future, Cooley has had aspirations of coaching in the NFL. However, the possibility of having to move his young family every so many years is not as appealing. He doesn’t see himself being away from his family on weekends.
Cooley expected to coach high school football this year before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled fall sports. Which may confirm a decision to remove him from the broadcast team was made long ago.
Hall will serve as the gameday analyst. Weinstein will do play-by-play, previously done by Larry Michael the past 16 seasons. Donaldson will make the team a three-person booth on game days. Donaldson replaced Michael as the head of media and the “lead voice” of the Washington Football Team. Michael abruptly retired a day before a Washington Post story detailing sexual harassment accusations.
