Albert Haynesworth has once again let the bad blood flow into a hot mic. Years after being embarrassed and run out of Washington, he still looks back on his time playing for the team in a critical light. With that infamous $100 million contract he signed in 2009 hanging over his head, the retired 33-year-old defensive tackle let his woes out to The Greg Pogue and Big Joe Show on Nashville radio's 94.9 FM.
Said Haynesworth, “Well, I mean, it wasn’t fun. To be honest, after like a year or so of doing that, it really just got old. It was not, not fun. At Washington, it took my love away from the game.” He continued by noting how distracted the organization seemed from progression on the football field, likening the team to soulless politically-motivated branding machine.
“And then when I went to Washington, it almost became like politics. Almost. It wasn’t 100 percent about football. It was like maybe 50 percent about football, and then 50 percent about just getting the name out there. Like, how many times could you mention ‘Washington Redskins’? It was just so different," said Haynesworth.
In the past, Haynesworth has described Washington's environment as a confusing place to come into. He believed the team viewed him as somewhat of a PR move—he was expensively signed as a marquee name to carry the franchise, but in Haynesworth's words, the team was perfectly fine in deceiving him of their actual football plans. He spoke about the mixed messages he received former Washington defensive coordinator Greg Blache in an interview with Tennessee Sports radio in 2013:
“The first day I get to Washington, that morning before, they’re like yeah, we’re gonna design our defense just like Tennessee, because we want you to let loose. So I was like ok, that’s great. And then the very first practice, we started doing all this different stuff that we hadn’t done. After that practice, I asked the D coordinator, hey, do you know are we gonna do some of [the Tennessee] stuff? And the guy was like no, we’re not doing none of that.”
The conversation later moved to Ndamukong Suh and his free agent decision. He was asked if he any advice for the 28-year-old, who like Haynesworth in 2009, hits free agency this month as one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the game. Haynesworth warned Suh of making a change of scenery, imploring him to not only look at the money on the table, but also a prospective team's history and coaching staff.
“He needs to really study, like who he’s thinking about going to," he advised. "Also, you need to kind of look at the track record of the coach, if he’s going to stay; talk to some former players, just to get the inside scoop about it; and make sure that they’re playing the exact same defense as Detroit."
When asked if he had any regrets about signing for Washington over his long-time team, the Tennessee Titans, Haynesworth was blunt. “Oh, I think about it every day,” he said. “I wish I did.”
Nearly five years after his trade from Washington to the New England Patriots, those Washington woes still run deep in Haynesworth's head.
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[via CBS D.C.]
