Albert Haynesworth-Mike Shanahan and the Worst Player-Coach Feuds in Sports
As of today, Albert Haynesworth has been suspended without pay for the rest of the season by Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan for conduct detrimental to the team.
This has been a long time coming in what has been the culmination of a feud between Haynesworth and Shanahan. There were problems between the two before the season started, there are problems now and there will likely be problems when Haynesworth is moved to another team.
The Haynesworth-Shanahan feud is the latest of many coach-player feuds, many of whom were long, drawn out problems, but others that were volatile but did not last long.
15. Scottie Pippen-Phil Jackson
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Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen, for the most part, had a very good relationship, leading to six NBA titles. There was one game, however, where things got bad.
In game three of the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks, the teams were tied and Jackson set up a play to run to give them the win. Toni Kukoc would make the game-winner, but Pippen wanted to make that shot, and sat out those final seconds. They moved past that, but that was still a strong piece of animosity given that the team was without Michael Jordan at the time.
14. Barry Bonds-Jim Leyland
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When Bonds and Leyland were both part of the Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training in 1991, Bonds poked fun at one of the Pirates' coaches. Leyland, always one of the more no-nonsense coaches in the league, went off on him, telling him to go home if he wanted to. Beyond that, it's likely that they came to near-blows many times.
Bonds has since had nothing but good things to say about Leyland, but for a while things were tough.
13. Shaquille O'Neal-Stan Van Gundy
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In 2005, the Miami Heat had a dynamic duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, led by coach Stan Van Gundy. After a game seven loss to the Pistons in the NBA playoffs Shaq criticized Van Gundy's coaching choices. Even after Stan Van's "resignation", their feud continued.
While Shaq was on the Suns, after a match between the two, Stan Van accused him of flopping and Shaq responded that he was a "master of panic". With both Orlando and Boston likely to face off in the playoffs, sparks are likely to fly yet again.
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12. Brett Favre/Randy Moss-Brad Childress
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When Brett Favre and Randy Moss both became Vikings, I figured that these were the players they needed to get to a Super Bowl and to bounce back from a bad start to this season. Man, how wrong I was.
This past season, there was clearly animosity on all three sides, which boiled over when Brad Childress got rid of Moss seemingly out of nowhere. Favre and others distanced themselves from the coach, and both Favre and Moss seemed like they wanted to get Childress fired. After the release of Moss though, that was clearly the end, and Childress was let go soon after.
The Vikings suddenly seem better with two of the three pieces gone, but they still had a lot to deal with.
11. Albert Haynesworth-Mike Shanahan
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From NFL.com and the mouth of Shanahan: "When Albert was at Redskins Park (on Monday), he told our General Manager Bruce Allen that he would no longer speak with me. Although suspending any player is not a decision that a head coach enters into lightly, I believe the situation has reached the point where the club clearly has no alternative."
If a feud gets that bad, one which had been going all year and even since the two joined up, there's likely a lot more that went on that we haven't seen.
10. Allen Iverson-Larry Brown
6 of 15There were a lot of fireworks between Allen Iverson and Larry Brown on the Sixers, but there's one moment everyone remembers. Needless to say, the video is worth a thousand words.
Unfortunately for Larry Brown, his legacy may be marred by some of these feuds; Iverson is only one of many, and one of the most significant. The other?
9. Stephon Marbury-Larry Brown
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Here's one that hurt both sides involved, neither of which fully recovered. As bad as things were with AI, they were worse with Stephon Marbury. Larry Brown was brought in to turn the Knicks around and instead lasted only one year, thanks in part to his relationship with Marbury.
After a poor season by the Knicks the ownership let Larry Brown go, in part due to the animosity between him and Marbury.
8. Terrell Owens-Steve Mariucci/Andy Reid
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Ah, Terrell Owens, I've made sure to reserve a spot for you. Everyone remembers the fights between Terrell Owens and Andy Reid, as well as Owens and Donovan McNabb even after Terrell was no longer with Philly. The more serious feud was between Owens and Steve Mariucci during their time with the 49ers.
During their time together, Owens criticized Mariucci's play calling. Even after Mariucci was fired, there were still problems, and there will be problems in Cincinnati if we all sit back and wait for it.
7. Alex Rodriguez-Joe Torre
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Another Yankees feud that emerged was between Alex Rodriguez and Joe Torre. During their time together, Torre called him "A-Fraud" and said he wasn't a true part of a team. The tension between the two over the years was enough for Torre to leave and join the Los Angeles Dodgers as their coach.
6. Magic Johnson-Paul Westhead
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When a player is a true star, they have the power to oust a coach even if the coach is doing just fine. Such is the example of Magic Johnson, who called his original coach Paul Westhead slow and predictable in creating the gameplans. During the 1981-82 season, Johnson demanded a trade unless Westhead was fired, and owner Jerry Buss granted his wish.
Whether this had already been planned, Westphal was gone and Pat Riley was put in charge of a team already set to win a championship and brought them four titles. Johnson denied orchestrating a firing, but nonetheless the tension was clearly that bad.
5. Keyshawn Johnson-Jon Gruden
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Despite winning a Super Bowl together for the 2002 season, Keyshawn Johnson and Jon Gruden did not get along at Tampa Bay. In 2003, Gruden felt that he was a disruption to the team and deactivated him for the final seven games of the year. Johnson was traded in the offseason. For him to be suspended that many games, there had to have been a lot going on in their feud.
4. Billy Martin-Reggie Jackson
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There have been many feuds within the Yankees organization over the years, but the fights between Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson stand out. The two butted heads throughout their tenure at New York. In a June 18, 1977, incident against the Red Sox, Martin pulled Jackson out of the game for failing to hustle, and Reggie had to be restrained from attacking him.
Martin also feuded with owner George Steinbrenner, which played a part in Martin's 1978 resignation after suspending Jackson for disobeying his orders. Beyond these, there were likely many more altercations between the two.
3. Terry Bradshaw-Chuck Noll
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The two may have won four Super Bowls together, but nonetheless there was a good deal of animosity between them. Much of it was on Bradshaw's end, criticizing Chuck Noll for how he coached, and Noll always ignored the criticisms or complaints from Bradshaw.
The feud came to a head in a 1983 game against the Miami Dolphins, where Noll started Bradshaw despite an injury. He tore ligaments in his elbow in what ended up being a career-ending injury. Both sides have since moved past the issues.
2. John Elway-Dan Reeves
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From John Elway's selection as the first overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft to Dan Reeves' departure from the Broncos in 1992, these two were at each others' throats. However, as coach of the Falcons, Reeves faced his old quarterback in Super Bowl XXXIII, Elway's final game against coach Mike Shanahan, who he had fired many years prior.
Before the Super Bowl began, Reeves called Elway out as Elway ended up beating his old coach. They patched things up in 2004. Look how long that rivalry lasted.
1. Latrell Sprewell-P.J. Carlesimo
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Golden State Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo and Latrell Sprewell never got along, and over the course of the 1997, the two butted heads multiple times. A practice in December was the boiling point, as Sprewell warned Carlesimo not to get near him. Carlesimo would have none of that from his player and did so.
Sprewell turned around and choked his coach for a good 15 seconds before his teammates stepped in. Sprewell was suspended for the rest of the season, and that combined with his "I got a family to feed" speech have permanently affected his reputation.
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