The Albert Haynesworth Saga: Far From a Racial Issue

For a guy that signed a $100 million contract just two years ago to become the world’s sixth highest-paid football player in the world, you’d assume that he have all the right tools. But I guess the saying is true—no one is perfect.

It was disappointing enough last season when Albert Haynesworth played only a portion of the defensive snaps and when he did play them, played them half-ass. But to make matters worse, Haynesworth has attempted to carry his poor attitude from last year over to the new Redskins’ regime. And I say attempted, simply because Fat Albert was unsuccessful in doing so. But somehow, along the pitiful journey that is Albert Haynesworth, the race card has been brought into focus.

As crazy as it may be, people are seriously considering Haynesworth to be the victim in this situation because of his race.

The recent Haynesworth Saga comes mainly by way of a player believing that he is larger than the team. It comes from a guy who thinks that he’ll walk over a proven Super Bowl-winning coach like he did to an unproven amateur just one year ago. And it comes from the media providing outstanding coverage on a story that has suddenly became more popular than Chelsea Clinton’s subtle wedding.

However, as odd as it may seem, the media has handled the Albert Haynesworth Saga with as much sincerity and truth as any large-coverage story in quite a while. In fact, the story is so easy and simple for the media that they just sit back and hit the record button. The media is fortunate enough to cover a story that revolves around a player who creates and sustains his own drama.

So with that being said, Haynesworth’s race has absolutely nothing to do with the way the media has covered him, the Redskins, or the story itself. Actually, the media has called the story exactly as they have seen it, not having to add any additional ingredients in order to make the Haynesworth Saga a front-page story.

Mike Shanahan arrived at Ashburn this season as part of a new regime. Finally, owner Dan Snyder intelligently decided to hand his team over to people who knew what they’re doing—and we thank him for that. But with a new regime comes new rules, and Haynesworth apparently didn’t get the memo.

A veteran choosing not to participate in your team’s offseason workouts is one thing, but it’s another story when your team has a brand new coaching staff, a new and improved scheme, and a totally revamped philosophy. Whether it was up to his agent or his mother, Haynesworth’s participation was necessary and he should have assumed the consequences that would come in a situation like the one he has created.

"One thing for sure that is clear to me is that Albert has gotten away in the past with playing without practicing,'' Shanahan said. "That will not happen under this regime. If he's going to play, he's going to practice, and that is the same with every player here. The days of him playing without practicing are over. And that, to me, says it all.''

When Haynesworth expressed his displeasure with the Redskins’ coaching staff and his playing time after the team’s second preseason game, he backed himself into the corner where he currently sits. He first implied that the coaching staff lied about him having headaches and that it was “much more than that.” But when he was asked what his actual symptoms were or if he had suffered any headaches at all, Haynesworth replied, “I don’t know, you gotta ask them.”

This is not a racial matter at all. This is a classic case of authority being used amongst high-profile athletes, as it should be, and then watching as the high-profile athlete squirms with annoyance like that of a slug covered in salt.

Shanahan has made it clear that if you don’t practice, you don’t play. It’s clear-cut and very simple. And in only that regard is it a black and white issue.