The Redskins are going to look very silly if they release Albert Haynesworth, but the situation in Washington seems to be irreversible. When Mike Shanahan benched Haynesworth on Sunday for being a minute late to practice the previous Friday, you had to believe the end of a horrible relationship was drawing near. It looks like the ‘Skins are finally going to give up on a free agent signing gone terrible.
According to Pro Football Talk, via Chris Russell of ESPN 890 in Washington, D.C., the Redskins are seriously considering cutting Haynesworth and there is a 75 percent chance the move will happen before this weekend. The Shanahan-Haynesworth relationship has seemingly gone from bad to worse since training camp, with the most notable confrontation revolving around the defensive tackle’s inability to “pass” Shanahan’s conditioning test. Shanahan and his coaching staff even termed Haynesworth’s play “awful” in the preseason.
You can pin the blame for the sour relationship on Haynesworth or Shanahan, but it won’t really matter if the Redskins cut him. All that matters is Washington signed him to one of the most lucrative deals in NFL history and ended up with nothing to show for it. Had they traded him during training camp, they could have at least received a draft pick in return. Releasing the 330-pounder will be admitting an epic mistake for the Redskins’ franchise, which has struggled enough as it is lately.
