By Phil Perry
CSNNE.com
Earlier this summer, Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett confirmed what everyone had already heard: Albert Haynesworth can be a real pain in the locker room, the meeting room, etc.
"He can do almost anything he wants. He doesnt want to do anything. To me thats the issue, Haslett told 101 ESPN Radio in St. Louis. Hes one of those guys you walk in a meeting and you tell him, Put down the phone. The next day you have to tell him to put down the phone. The next day, you tell him to put down the phone.
You tell him, Dont read the newspaper in meetings. The next day you have to tell him the same thing. It doesnt stick; its an every-day thing.
If only those were the worst of Haynesworth's problems.
The irritable defensive tackle has a propensity for breaking the law, almost breaking the law, and being accused of breaking the law. He has racked up a significant rap sheet ever since his college days at Tennessee. Here's a list of his most infamous indiscretions, including the one that put his volatile personality on the map: the stomp heard 'round the NFL.
At the University of Tennessee in November 2000, Haynesworth, a sophomore, got mad at Volunteers offensive tackle Will Ofenheusle. Haynesworth left the practice field and returned with what multiple reports described as a "long pole," but Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer intervened.
New England Patriots
In training camp of 2003, Haynesworth started a team brawl by kicking Titans center Justin Hartwig. Then, in December 2003, Titans coach Jeff Fisher deactivated Haynesworth for one game after Haynesworth hit Matt Martin in the back of the head during an argument.
In June of 2006, a judge dismissed reckless endangerment charges against Haynesworth after a motorist alleged Haynesworth tried to run her off Interstate 40 in Tennessee. Haynesworth said he was the one who had been the victim of road rage.
Then came the stomp. Looking back at the video, it appears as though Haynesworth actually missed when he first tried to step on Andre Gurode's face during a game in October 2006. Haynesworth went back to make sure the second landed flush, and it did. He opened a gash on Gurode's face that need 30 stitches to sew up. He was slapped with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which was followed by a second 15-yard penalty and an ejection after he removed his helmet to curse out the official.
Haynesworth was apologetic after the incident.
"What I did out there was disgusting," he said. "It doesn't matter what the league does to me. The way I feel right now, you just can't describe it."
He was suspended by the NFL for five games without pay.
In December of 2008, Haynesworth caused an accident driving over 100 mph in his Ferrari and left a man seriously injured. The man needed hip replacement surgery after the accident and it was alleged he could not move without a walker or a wheelchair.
Haynesworth showed the Redskins last season that even when he's not being gratuitously violent on the field, or breaking the law, he can still kill your team. He boycotted mandatory minicamp, then needed ten tries to pass a conditioning test to get on the field. He refused to play in the Redskins base defense and was suspended for the final four games of last season by coach Mike Shannahan.
In February, he was accused of punching a man in the nose during an alleged case of road rage. He paid the accuser to settle the case.
This spring he was indicted on sexual assault charges after allegedly fondling a waitress while paying his bill at the W Hotel in Washington, DC. His attorney has accused the waitress of trying to make a cash grab. Haynesworth rejected a plea offer in May. He told investigators the waitress was upset because he is not attracted to black women. If convicted, he faces up 180 days in jail and a fine of 1,000. The trial is set to begin August 2.