WP RI - Hall: 'It's a standoff' between Redskins, Haynesworth

[Spade]

He might want to ask Lavar how this same silliness worked out for him & his career.

which blossomed into a wonderful radio career

[mistertim]

we have a winner. what are teams going to expect of a guy who has already simply not shown up for work? what is going to say any differently to the next team that gets him to convince them that he will be the best on the field?

Obviously the cost will be a factor, depending on whether he has to give back some of the money, etc. However, If another team ends up with him they would just be taking that chance. Either he truly is a lazy bum who just doesn't care about anything or he really will be a complete monster when put in a situation that suits his abilities better. He had a good year last year despite being in Blache's completely non-aggressive defense, if he actually ISN'T just a lazy bum (I really have no clue at this point), then I would think he could excel on a team that said "hey, we play a 4-3. your job? attack."

[Waldo da Magnificent]

Shanahan said himself they understood and gave him a month to find a new team. They said if you stay and take the money, we expect you to play for us and be the best whatever on the field. It was a standing agreement that for 21 MILLION dollars, he would play the 3-4.

He took that money.

Now he wants to keep that money and not play the 3-4?

I think if I did something like that I would end up in prison for fraud/grand theft, would I not?

This man is a greedy ****ing liar.

No, you wouldn't. Look, the problem is with the contract - AH was guaranteed the $21 million. Shanahan tried to inpute a little common sense into the payment - take the money and play with us - but AH was already guaranteed the $$$. He could have agreed, disagreed, completely ignored the coach - it made no difference.

If they cut him in March, he still gets the 21 mil.

If he promises to attend all OTAs, then renigs, he still gets the money.

Washington's only hope is that he refuses to report to camp. Then they can go after the payments. But, if AH reports, takes the first snap and "hurts his back" or some other lame excuse, Washington will still be on the hook.

And there's not options in the contract, or the NFLPA agreement that states a player has to return a bonus if he reports.

Better hope Shanahan plants either cocaine or a dead body in AH's car . . .

[Spaceman Spiff]

Better hope Shanahan plants either cocaine or a dead body in AH's car . . .

I'm for this and I'm willing to help.

Shanny, if you're reading this, just lemme know dude.

[LD0506]

I'm for this and I'm willing to help.

Shanny, if you're reading this, just lemme know dude.

If they're going to really play dirty, get Bernie Madoff out on work release, let him run "investments" for that SOB and get the money back.....

[demarc007]

Why does Fat Al feel like he was going to be shielded from changes in a league such as the NFL? That is the stupidest thing I've heard in my life.

[skinfan133]

I really won't say I told you so, mostly because I have no one to tell it to, but I so called this AH **** when we signed him. I had heard too many stories about his horrible off-field character prior to him coming here to think his signing was anything good for the skins. That's a lot more apparent now, and I would much rather have the London Fletcher's, Phillip Daniels', and Donovan McNabb's than the Hall's and Haynesworth's on this team.

[Hitnskins]

I hope ME_Angelo Hall is the next one to go......he acts like he Bubble But are best friends or something.....Fatsworth is probably the only person on the team that he "vibes" with since they seem to have the same mentality, and MeAngelo has already screwed over 2 teams, gotten unwarranted bonus money, and been released from those teams.....just likes Fatsworth is trying to do here. MeAngelo doesn't know what "Team" means.....he never did at Va. Tech, and hasn't in the Pro's.....he's got about as much use as having tits on a bull. I wish we had never signed him to begin with, and i predict he'll be the next malcontent to be let go from the team.

[DexterSackMachine]

Haynesworth thought he had found a perfect situation for himself in free agency, Hall said, but he was wrong.

What Albert wanted was to play for the Titans, but get paid by the Redskins. Classic case of wanting to eat your cake and have it to...

[Henry]

The situation here seems obvious to me. He was very vocal when seeking a new home about what he wanted. He wanted 100million and he wanted a defensive style that he felt suited his abilities. The skins gave him the money and promised him the rest. Tampa was right there with us on the money, it was the rest at made him come here.

So he shows up and after being told one thing realizes our defensive coordinator hates attacking style defenses and instead insists that everyone up front play run first. Water under the bridge (sort of). Then we get a new crew of coaches and they implement the 3-4, a defense he specifically stated he wanted no part of when leaving the titans. Straw met over loaded camel and now he wants out.

This seems like a predictable situation to any competent management team. It looks to me like Snyder and Cerrato over sold him to get him here and that blunder created this mess.

This right here. I know we are all angry at AH, but let's not lose sight of how this all happened in the first place. Crap like this just doesn't happen to competent front offices.

It's clear that Snyder oversold Haynesworth on what the Redskins would do for him. Now, Haynesworth may be a narcissistic, selfish, lazy SOB. But if you promise someone something, especially to get them to choose you over someone else, and then immediately reneg on your end of the bargain when he signs on the dotted line, don't expect him to act in good faith with you ever again.

My hope now is that Haynesworth goes away one or the other, and then Snyder and whomever his lackeys are at any given time never do something so incredibly stupid like this ever again. It's a slim hope given Snyder's chronic need to sign big names to big contracts over the past ten years, but it's all we've got at this point.

[SkinsCrushCowboys]

Hall is too stupid to get out of the way of the truck......he can go sit with fat albert all season for all I care.....how about showing some support for the orgization that overpaid you DHall.

[LD0506]

My hope now is that Haynesworth goes away one or the other, and then Snyder and whomever his lackeys are at any given time never do something so incredibly stupid like this ever again. It's a slim hope given Snyder's chronic need to sign big names to big contracts over the past ten years, but it's all we've got at this point.

BUT if this does happen, if this is the final nail in the coffin of TheDan's aspirations to play "NFL Action Figures" with the franchise, then it may be worth it in the long run. I admit that is still a big IF, but what could possibly underscore the need for professionals calling the shots better than this?

[dadirtbags]

I have to agree...Hall is in a tough spot...he should of told the reporters "it is true AH and I are close friends...so knowing that ...I would prefer to keep our conversations confidential as well as my opinions...as of now...I'm playing football for the Redskins...if you have any questions concerning what is happening on the football field...fire away...if not...thanks for understanding guys"

[Kindred]

Well said. I just watched Hall's interview on redskins.com, and I found his comments kind of stupid. When asked how he feels about the players who are ticked of at AH, he said "these are the same players that will be smiling in AH's face when he reports." What a dumb thing to say about your teamates. especially when the people who have expressed their unhappiness include London Fletcher and Philip Daniels.

...and why shouldn't they be smiling? If he reported, they wouldnt need to be pissed off any more.

[Hogisme]

Hall 's character has been brought into question before...They are FRIENDS...Birds of a feather and all those thoughts are forefront in my mind...Spoiled athletes...Didnt like Wilbon's stance on it last night during PTI either...Very surprised as I had a ton of respect for him before...

[Kindred]

The situation here seems obvious to me. He was very vocal when seeking a new home about what he wanted. He wanted 100million and he wanted a defensive style that he felt suited his abilities. The skins gave him the money and promised him the rest. Tampa was right there with us on the money, it was the rest at made him come here.

So he shows up and after being told one thing realizes our defensive coordinator hates attacking style defenses and instead insists that everyone up front play run first. Water under the bridge (sort of). Then we get a new crew of coaches and they implement the 3-4, a defense he specifically stated he wanted no part of when leaving the titans. Straw met over loaded camel and now he wants out.

This seems like a predictable situation to any competent management team. It looks to me like Snyder and Cerrato over sold him to get him here and that blunder created this mess. I think Bruce Allen realized this a long time ago and has been wanting to trade him forever but didn't get the authorization from Snyder because Big Al wants to keep the money. This makes perfect sense of course and I don't blame Snyder one bit for that part of it.

They can "punish" Albert all season and he's still sitting on 33 million (12 million last season 21 million in april). I'm wondering what the team is going to try to use as leverage to solve this. It's pretty clear the "working with my own trainers" was a smoke screen from both sides, both knowing he wanted a trade but wanting to keep the media in the dark while the battled behind the scenes. It explains why the coaches didn't want to talk about him even in the slightest.

What remains to be seen is how Bruce is going to get fat boy to surrender some coin. If he does he'll be traded. If he doesn't they'll try to punish him and go after the money which reporters and the players association don't think they can get.

One thing is certain, Bruce Allen has his hands full with a mess he didn't create. I hope the guy can pull this off because this has distraction written all over it.

This right here. I know we are all angry at AH, but let's not lose sight of how this all happened in the first place. Crap like this just doesn't happen to competent front offices.

It's clear that Snyder oversold Haynesworth on what the Redskins would do for him. Now, Haynesworth may be a narcissistic, selfish, lazy SOB. But if you promise someone something, especially to get them to choose you over someone else, and then immediately reneg on your end of the bargain when he signs on the dotted line, don't expect him to act in good faith with you ever again.

My hope now is that Haynesworth goes away one or the other, and then Snyder and whomever his lackeys are at any given time never do something so incredibly stupid like this ever again. It's a slim hope given Snyder's chronic need to sign big names to big contracts over the past ten years, but it's all we've got at this point.

Nevertheless. You're forgetting the part where Shany likely acknowledged the failure of the previous POS front office to uphold its end of the bargain and would have allowed Fat whinebaby Haynesworth to walk IF HE CHOSE NOT TO ACCEPT THE 21 million signing bonus. By taking the money, he indicated he STILL WANTED TO PLAY HERE. Therefore, all bs from that point forward is ENTIRELY UPON WHINEBABY HAYNESWORTH.

[kingdaddy]

I wonder if this kind of drama is what's holding up Westbrook from signing in DC? With all of the changes it getting to be a little bit of a soap opera atmosphere at Redskins Park.

[Henry]

Nevertheless. You're forgetting the part where Shany likely acknowledged the failure of the previous POS front office to uphold its end of the bargain and would have allowed Fat whinebaby Haynesworth to walk IF HE CHOSE NOT TO ACCEPT THE 21 million signing bonus. By taking the money, he indicated he STILL WANTED TO PLAY HERE. Therefore, all bs from that point forward is ENTIRELY UPON WHINEBABY HAYNESWORTH.

Like I said, what incentive does AH have to act in good faith with the Redskins? The Redskins really did nothing to earn it.

Now I am not defending Haynesworth here at all. At least that's not my intent. He's clearly not the type of player we want here. An honorable man and a teammate committed to winning would have taken the money and played his guts out for us no matter what he was asked to do. And Haynesworth is showing himself to be considerably less than honorable.

But let's not ignore part the Redskins have played in this whole fiasco. Maybe Hall, as a current Redskin who intends to play this upcoming season, shouldn't be the one to point this out, but it is a valid point nonetheless.

[sempre_victrix]

Well, D-Hall, if he is so freaking adamant about not not playing in a 3-4, even though he knows nothing about it, then he should not have taken the $21M and found a better place to play. I don't give 2 ****s what they promised him when they signed him, things change. Be a man, adapt, and be a team player. Not a punk.

I spoke up for AH when a lot of people were down on him for not attending the voluntary camps, but he is a POS to me right now.

[sempre_victrix]

If I could not get the vast majority of the $21M back, then he would ride the pine until his contract expires.

[SKOALSKIN]

**** this guy. And **** D'hall. Albert can get out of this thing whenever he wants. All he has to do is return the $21mill he took. Simple as that.

There is no "his side of the story" they gave that mother ****er 21 million to play football. And he won't even walk in the door. This guy is a theif.

[mdpell]

At least (hopefully) this will make everyone forget about the Santana Moss HGH allegations.

[TheLongshot]

This right here. I know we are all angry at AH, but let's not lose sight of how this all happened in the first place. Crap like this just doesn't happen to competent front offices.

It's clear that Snyder oversold Haynesworth on what the Redskins would do for him. Now, Haynesworth may be a narcissistic, selfish, lazy SOB. But if you promise someone something, especially to get them to choose you over someone else, and then immediately reneg on your end of the bargain when he signs on the dotted line, don't expect him to act in good faith with you ever again.

My hope now is that Haynesworth goes away one or the other, and then Snyder and whomever his lackeys are at any given time never do something so incredibly stupid like this ever again. It's a slim hope given Snyder's chronic need to sign big names to big contracts over the past ten years, but it's all we've got at this point.

You can blame the FO, but when you get to the heart of such situations the blame usually goes to the player. It should be a given that wherever you go, that you are not going to be used the same way as you were with your previous team. Given his statements in his introductory press conference, he seemed to understand his role here, that he was likely to draw double and triple teams and that it could free up other guys and that he was fine with that. So, who's really lying here?

The problems seem to start when he started reading his press clippings that he was considered a bust, even tho he was doing great with what he was asked to do. Now he seems to reject a defense that he hasn't even bothered to learn much about.

[SlobberKnockinFootball]

To be honest, I kind feel badly for Hall. I'd hate to be in that situation, where my good friend was dicking over a team for his/her own, selfish reasons. I'd hate to have to attempt to appease both sides.

Hopefully Hall will see the light.

That's when you just shut your mouth and go about your business. I know Haynesworth is his friend, but the Redskins pay him too.

You don't want to bite the hand that is feeding you dumb money for piss poor tackling fundamentals.. or just being a flat out ***** when trying to tackle.

I digress.

[Henry]

You can blame the FO, but when you get to the heart of such situations the blame usually goes to the player. It should be a given that wherever you go, that you are not going to be used the same way as you were with your previous team. Given his statements in his introductory press conference, he seemed to understand his role here, that he was likely to draw double and triple teams and that it could free up other guys and that he was fine with that. So, who's really lying here?

The problems seem to start when he started reading his press clippings that he was considered a bust, even tho he was doing great with what he was asked to do. Now he seems to reject a defense that he hasn't even bothered to learn much about.

You know what? I don't think I'm stating my position clearly.

I am far more angry at Haynesworth than the team. I am right there with all of you who are saying all kinds of nasty stuff about the guy right now.

However, I am also angry at the Redskins. Not AS angry, but angry nonetheless. If you lie down with dogs you are going to get fleas. And the Redskins are currently the dog-lying-down-with champions of the 21st century.

And when the smoke clears, Haynesworth will be gone. We can hate him from afar and talk about those terrible days when he fleeced us and whatever, but he'll be gone. But the Redskins won't be. They'll still be my team. And I'll still be angry at them for the nonsense that's been going on since Snyder bought the team and signed Deion Sanders ten years ago.

So while it's not as strong, my anger for the Redskins is going to linger a lot longer than the intensity-of-the-thousand-burning-suns hatred I feel for AH at this moment. That is, until the Redskins stop making bone-headed signings like this. Hopefully that day is today, though history is not on our side in that hope.