Chris Cooley is speaking out again. It seems that the former Redskins TE has several things to say about his old team, and NBC Sports reports that one of those things is that Albert Haynesworth is an “awful human being.” This is coming from someone who tried to negotiate beer into his NFL contract though, so it seems somewhat like the pot calling the kettle black.
Cooley was recently on ESPN 980 and was asked if he felt the Arenas contract or the Haynesworth contract was worse. His reply no doubt has some hint of bitterness.
“No question, the Haynesworth contract. Because he was trying to get released by the team. His goal was to come here, make a large signing bonus, and then get released and not have to do any of the work. He didn’t care about the back end of that contract, he didn’t care about making all of that money. His idea was, you paid me for what I did in the past, and my goal is to be released as soon as possible and basically take $33 million from you for absolutely nothing. . . .
“His goal from the get-go was to take that money. He also indicated to many players on the team that his new goal was to get released as soon as possible, sign another maybe $10, 12 million contract — that’s verbatim — go somewhere, play for a year and probably get released, and keep that money too. I mean, if it was a player on this team currently, I would not discuss this on the air. But being the player that he was, and the guy that he was around here, this was open [knowledge] among many players in this locker room: that his goal was basically to take money.
“And it’s really unfortunate when that happens. I guess his point to it, or his excuse for it, was well, the leagues steal from all you guys, the leagues won’t pay you your salaries, they won’t give you your money, so I’m gonna get what’s right from them.”
Haynesworth definitely was no gem for the Redskins, so what Cooley is saying is most likely true. It would be interesting to know how much of those millions does Haynesworth still have to his name.