Commanders’ Dan Quinn leaves press conference seats empty for former Washington Post reporters

The relationship between the sports media and the people they cover is often construed as combative and adversarial. In reality, it’s a relationship, and one that can often be fulfilling and appreciated on both sides.

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn held a press conference on Tuesday, but there were some noticeable absences in the room. The Commanders actually left three seats in the front row empty to honor the Washington Post reporters and beat writers who will no longer cover the team after owner Jeff Bezos signed off on massive layoffs that effectively killed the paper’s prestigious sports section.

Commanders leave 3 seats open for The Washington Post and Dan Quinn says what a loss it is to not have them covering the team pic.twitter.com/Jo8I3usiHz

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) February 10, 2026

Normally, Barry Svrluga, Tashan Reed, and Tom Schad would be in attendance, covering the presser for the Post, but they were all part of the layoffs.

Not only were their seats left empty, but Quinn commented on their absence and its implications.

“Their presence is missed”
– DQ on the empty seats in the room for @PostSports

Thank you @barrysvrluga, @tashanreed, @Tom_Schad & so many others pic.twitter.com/dvnQvVMFmZ

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) February 10, 2026

“First, a couple of empty seats over to my right,” said Quinn. “Was absolutely bummed to hear about the Washington Post sports section. The guys, Tashon, Barry, and Tom, like, true pros, and, along with everyone else I met there. Their presence is missed.”

Svrluga took to X to also share that Quinn “texted the three of us with a nice message last week. Solid human instincts.”

Cynical fans and media members might presume the Commanders and other D.C.-based sports teams would be happy to not have to deal with Washington Post coverage moving forward, but those relationships are so much more symbiotic than people often realize. For every perceived negative article, there are countless recaps, columns, profiles, and pieces sourced from within the organization. At least, there were.

Plus, as NBC’s Matthew Berry, a lifelong Commanders fan, points out, ‘Without the Washington Post’s reporting, we’d probably still be stuck with Dan Snyder as the worst owner in professional sports history.”

Who knows what similar problems might not see the light of day now that the WaPo’s sports section is gone?