Alex Santos, Former Washington Director of Professional Personnel: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Alex Santos was the Washington NFL franchise’s former director of professional personnel. Santos was fired by the team alongside fellow front office member Richard Mann II in July 2020.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on July 16 that the Washington Post was preparing a story “that is expected to highlight the culture that is existed.” Schefter noted in his tweets that Santos, Mann II and play-by-play announcer Larry Michael had all left the organization.

Mann II worked for Washington as the assistant director of pro personnel. The pair were fired on July 11, reported The Washington Post. The Post described the pair’s role as “coordinating advance scouting of opponents and evaluating potential free agents.”

Here’s what you need to know:

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1. Alex Santos Is Accused of Sexually Harassing Female Reports Who Covered Washington

On July 16, The Washington Post reported that Santos had been the subject of an investigation from within the organization over an allegation he pinched the Athletic’s Rhiannon Walker and told her that she had “an ass like a wagon.” Walker also accused Santos of repeatedly asking her to date him.

Another reporter, Nora Princiotti, made similar accusations against Santos. Princiotti told the Post that on one occasion, Santos drove up alongside her while she was walking and said she “had a great little ass for a white girl.” Princiotti also said that Santos told her that her nickname among the front office staff was “Princihottie.” She said of this, “It was gross and also just a terrible pun. There was an overwhelming sense that no one would ever do anything about this stuff.”

Santos declined to be interviewed in the Washington Post’s piece.

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2. Santos Joined Washington as an Assistant in 2006 & Rose Through the Ranks of the Organization

Santos joined the Washington NFL franchise in 2006. Santos said he only got the job with Washington thanks to a “bit of luck,” according to a 2014 feature on him in the Washington Post. Santos is quoted in the Post as saying:

When you first come in the NFL, you’re excited. Mr. Snyder gave me an opportunity eight years ago, and I’m so appreciative that he gave me the opportunity to continue to grow in the organization in a different role and different capacity. I always hoped to be a director at some point in my career, but to do it with the Redskins was ideal. It’s a great opportunity. For that, I’m very appreciative to Mr. Snyder, to Bruce Allen and Scott Campbell to have enough faith in me to let me fill this role.

He joined the organization as a personnel assistant before being promoted through the ranks of the team’s scouting organization. Santos had been the director of professional personnel since 2014. In a press release from the time of Santos’ promotion, via Hogs Haven, he said, “I appreciate the opportunity this organization has given me. I am honored that I am able to continue to grow within the NFL ranks with the Redskins organization.”

The Washington Post describes Santos as being “regarded for his ability to identify talented players on other teams’ rosters.” At the time of Santos’ promotion, the Athletic’s Zac Boyer reported that Santos had previously been the team’s pro and advance scout.

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3. Santos Was ‘Well Thought of’ in the Washington Organization

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora wrote in a May 2017 column that Santos would be a contender to be named the team’s general manager. La Canfora wrote that Santos had risen from the organization’s “lowest ranks.” La Canfora added that Santos was “well thought of” in the organization and that he may be “malleable to [Dan] Snyder’s ways.” A now-deleted profile on Washington’s website spoke about Santos’ ability to identify free agents as the team faced injury problems.

An August 2019 article on Washington blog Hogs Haven was titled, “Alex Santos seems to be earning his money.” In December 2019, there were rumors among Washington reporters that Santos had been fired.

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4. Santos Graduated From North Carolina State University With a Degree in Spanish Literature

On his LinkedIn page, Santos said he was the director of pro scouting at the Washington Redskins. The only other information available on Santos’ page is that he attended North Carolina State University between 1996 and 2000. Santos graduated from the school with a degree in Spanish literature. Santos later graduated with a master’s degree in special education from New Jersey City State University.

Prior to his career in the NFL, Santos was a graduate assistant and quality control intern coach at Vanderbilt University and an assistant head football coach at Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey. Santos told the Washington Post in 2014 that his job at Vanderbilt was to create video packages for professional scouts who came to the school.

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5. Former Washington Star AJ Francis Once Said of Santos: ‘Never Called Me for a Good Thing’

When AJ Francis was released by Washington in 2018 and picked up by the New York Giants, he told the Washington Post that it was Santos who told him that he was cut. Francis said, “[Santos] never once called me for a good thing, ever in his life. He barely ever talked to me walking past me in the hallway. And he called me to tell me that they were releasing me.”

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