The move didn’t surprise Albert Haynesworth’s teammates. It might relieve them, however. After months of speculation and drama surrounding the defensive lineman, his suspension means they can now move forward.
From Haynesworth not showing up for offseason workouts to his failed conditioning tests and drama regarding his role in the defense, his name dominated many interviews.
“For the most part everyone is tired about talking about Albert and it’s time to move on,” Redskins defensive end Phillip Daniels said. “We’re tired of dealing with the same situation over and over again.”
But the suspension means Haynesworth can’t even come to Redskins Park or attend games. Daniels said he expects Haynesworth to be traded or released in the offseason.
Defensive end Vonnie Holliday told the Associated Press that Haynesworth had a credibility issue with his teammates, saying, “How many times can you cry wolf?”
“I agree with Vonnie,” Daniels said. “They gave him plenty of changes to go out and play. Sometimes your actions get you in trouble and that’s what happened in this case.
“You know the player he can be, he can be the most dominating player in the league if he does what he needs to do, but we need to have a certain attitude all the time, guys willing to go out there and fight thru pain, those kinds of things.”
Haynesworth had his teammates support in training camp while he endured the conditioning test drama. And they often vocalized their support and desire to see him play. However, they also understood that Haynesworth was one of the few who had not “bought in” to coach Mike Shanahan.
“You hate to see one of your teammates get suspended,” Redskins defensive end Kedric Golston said. “But we have full confidence in Coach Shanahan making the right decisions for the team. It’s disappointing; both parties did not it to end this way. But we still have a season left and we want to finish strong.”
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