Albert Haynesworth, the former Titans and Washington defensive tackle, took himself to task in a letter to himself on The Players Tribune.
In the letter penned to himself (his younger, younger self), Haynesworth opened up on many thing, including how the $100 million Washington gave him didn’t help inspire his performance on the field with the team.
According to CBSSports.com. Haynesworth writes meeting with Mike Shanahan and learning the then-Skins coach simply wanted him “grab the center,” “let the linebackers run free” and “eat space.” (can’t wait for Shanahan’s reaction to that).
Haynesworth writes he was stunned to learn about his responsibilities given his contract and eventually fall out of love with the game.
“You will lose your passion for football in Washington, and it will be impossible to get back,” Haynesworth writes.
“If nothing else, listen to me on this, Albert: Do not leave the Tennessee Titans. Your defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is a mastermind,” Haynesworth writes. “No matter how much I tell you this, you’ll probably never realize it until your career is over, but it’s true. You’re like a system quarterback. You thrive in a very specific scheme.”
Also of note from Haynesworth in the letter:
- He writes about not trusting a psychologist who helped him at Tennessee before eventually becoming his financial advisor and who is “going to take millions from you.”
- He writes about the moment when he stomped on Andre Gurode’s face and how he reacted before and after.
- He writes about becoming happy after football, which is interesting.
For the full letter, read here.
