By Justin Worsley,
The Washington Redskins has suspended defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth without pay for the final four games of the season for conduct detrimental to the team, adding more to the saga between the two-time All-Pro lineman and head coach Mike Shannahan.
Haynesworth was one of the best run-stuffing defensive lineman in the league during his first seven seasons, all with the Tennessee Titans. Last year, Haynesworth left the team to take a seven-year, $100 million offer from the Redskins.
Shannahan, a two-time Super Bowl champion, is in his first year in Washington and since day one has had a problem with the 335-pound Haynesworth. Haynesworth boycotted the team's offseason workouts because they were changing to a 3-4 defensive scheme. When he finally arrived, Haynesworth, showed up out of shape and took 10 days to pass a conditioning test.
Haynesworth will appeal the suspension, however, it is more than likely that he has played his last days in Washington. His teammates have slowly gone against him during the course of the season and have publicly voiced their opinion more than once. Defensive captain London Fletcher called Haynesworth "selfish" and on Monday, veteran Phillip Daniels called out Haynesworth's lack of trust in the new defensive system.
Haynesworth did not play in last Sunday's blowout loss the the New York Giants, announcing his decision just hours before the game due to an undisclosed illness. There have also been reports that Haynesworth is no longer speaking to Shannahan and that he has refused to play in certain packages.
Haynesworth, 29, has only played in eight games this year, notching only 16 tackles and 2.5 sacks, his lowest since 2006. Haynesworth has never had less than 30 tackles in a season in his career.
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