As it turns out, the Washington Redskins are not going to cut Albert Haynesworth before the end of the season. They’ll likely cut him at the conclusion of the season, but for now they have decided to suspend their $100 million man without pay. If the decision stands once the NFLPA reviews the case, Haynesworth will not suit up for the final four games of the season and will miss out on roughly $850,000 in salary.
The decision comes after the relationship between Haynesworth and the Redskins’ coaching staff has gone from bad, to worse, to down right horrendous. The most recent episode involved reports that Haynesworth was benched on Sunday for being a minute late to practice the previous Friday. Other reports indicated the defensive tackle was “too sick to practice” on Friday because he was hungover. Naturally, Haynesworth said those reports were bogus.
According to the Washington Post, Redskins general manager Bruce Allen informed Haynesworth of the decision on Tuesday morning because Albert is no longer speaking to Mike Shanahan. The childish decision to give his coach the cold shoulder seems to have been the last straw for Haynesworth in Washington. Here’s some of what Shanahan had to say about the suspension:
Despite the club’s numerous attempts to persuade Albert Haynesworth to abide by the terms of his contract, he has repeatedly refused to cooperate with our coaching staff in a variety of ways over an extended period of time,” Shanahan said in a written statement. “He has consistently indicated to our defensive coaches that he refuses to play in our base defense or on first-down or second-down nickel situations. He also has refused to follow the instructions of our coaches both during weekly practices and during actual games as well.”
“Yesterday, when Albert was at Redskin Park,” Shanahan said, “he told our General Manager Bruce Allen that he would no longer speak with me,” Shanahan said in the statement. “Although suspending any player is not a decision that a head coach enters into lightly, I believe the situation has reached the point where the club clearly has no alternative.”
Shanahan has not been able to get the job done in D.C. thus far, but maybe getting rid of one of the biggest dinks in NFL history will help. Maybe not. One thing’s for sure, the NFLPA will be looking closely at the situation. Suspending a player for four games without pay is the maximum penalty a team can impose under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
