Albert Haynesworth: Chronicling the Downfall of Troubled Star

It's hard to believe that Albert Haynesworth was one of the most coveted free agents in football four years ago. Since then, the 30-year-old has played for three teams and was just released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network.

Breer tweeted on Wednesday:

The move was a smart one for the Buccaneers, who, according to ESPN, saved $7.2 million against the 2012 salary cap by axing Haynesworth now.

Haynesworth was selected to the Pro Bowl for two straight years in 2007 and 2008 with the Tennessee Titans, but to say that the man who has become known as "Fat Albert" had character issues would be an understatement.

Even before things began to get dicey in Tennessee, Haynesworth kicked Titans center Justin Hartwig in the chest at a 2003 practice. He had to be restrained by teammates.

From there, it got worse.

On Oct. 1, 2006, in what would become known as "The Stomping Incident," Haynesworth removed Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode's helmet and stomped on his head, opening up a severe wound and narrowly missing his right eye. Haynesworth received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty. When he protested and threw his helmet onto the field, another 15-yard penalty was assessed, and he was ejected.

Shortly after, Haynesworth was given a five-game suspension, which is still the longest suspension for an on-field incident in modern NFL history.

Then came the saga with Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins.

It was actually a shock that Shanahan and Haynesworth didn't butt heads from the very start. But two seasons into his seven-year, $100 million deal, Haynesworth was suspended for the final four games of 2010 for "conduct detrimental to the club."

Haynesworth was then traded to the New England Patriots in July 2011 for a fifth-round pick. The fact that a man who used to be called the most dominant defensive tackle in the game was swapped for a fifth-round pick told you all you needed to know.

The Patriots' deal for Haynesworth was lauded at the time. If anybody could get Haynesworth under control, it was Bill Belichick.

But after registering a grand total of three tackles in six games for the Patriots, Haynesworth was released by the team in November. The move came shortly after Haynesworth got in an argument with defensive line coach Pepper Johnson on the sideline.

Finally, after playing seven games with the Buccaneers in 2011 and recording 20 tackles, Haynesworth was cut on Wednesday.

It's a shame that Haynesworth has squandered his talent. These last four years, he's been called lazy by more than a few people.

You wonder if Haynesworth would have been a sure-fire Hall of Famer if he had kept his head on straight.