Commanders CB Benjamin St-Juste Wants 'Fresh Start' for Franchise and Fans

Speaking to a french newspaper, the second-year Washington Commanders defensive back spoke his mind. And we applaud him for doing so.

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera wants nothing more than to keep the off-field organizational drama separate from what's happening in the locker room.  

But on Wednesday, a team spokesperson brought Brian Robinson Jr.'s injury into the mix of off-field discussion, a move Rivera almost certainly was not pleased about. 

That's not the only instance of players and organizational developments mixing, however, as second-year cornerback Benjamin St-Juste recently made his own thoughts public. 

"Since I arrived here, it's been a dark cloud over our organization," St-Juste said in an interview with Le Journal De Quebec. "Every time there is something good happening on the pitch, something bad is happening off it. It would give us great energy to have a fresh start and regain the confidence of the fans."

WUSA9's Darren Haynes tweeted a translation from what was originally written in french. 

Some are not going to like the young player speaking his mind publicly, and on the record to a media outlet. 

But more transparency isn't a bad thing in this case, and with athlete voices being heard more and more, this opening up about the environment is a welcome one from our perspective. 

Fans have voiced wanting to see the players take a united stance to send a message that the conduct that reportedly happened under team owner Dan Snyder's watch is not acceptable. 

While St-Juste's words alone don't represent a team-wide stance against the owner, it certainly shows that players are feeling the stress. 

Not only that but are also in agreement with many on the outside who want nothing more than a new beginning for the once-proud NFL franchise that calls the DMV it's home.

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82 and on the Locked On Commanders podcast.

Get your Washington Commanders game tickets from SI Tickets HERE!

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Commanders? Click Here.

Follow Commander Country on Twitter.