Report: Lions don't want Haynesworth to poison Suh
In our daily Albert Haynesworth update, we have a report from Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network that says you can go ahead and rule out the Detroit Lions when it comes to the slim (nonexistent?) chance the Washington Redskins have of trading the disgruntled defensive tackle.
The Lions have been one of the first teams mentioned when it comes to Haynesworth and the possibility of a trade for the simple reason that Detroit coach Jim Schwartz came from Tennessee where he worked with Haynesworth for years. The reasoning was Schwartz would know what buttons to push to get Haynesworth going and with the Redskins already having paid the bulk of the guaranteed money in the contract ($32 million of he $41 million), it would be a low-cost investment.
Apparently, the potential cost in terms of Haynesworth’s behavior made it a move the Lions are no longer considering. La Canfora reported that the Lions “determined he’d be a possible negative influence” on rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The Lions don’t want to risk that with the No. 2 pick in the draft.
Haynesworth has largely kept to himself in Washington – when he’s been there – but he did prove to be a destructive force. The National Football Post reported late last season that Haynesworth showed up late for practice on Christmas because he didn’t like the schedule for the day. Coaches sent him home after they learned that he had openly lobbied teammates in the locker room to do the same thing. No one followed his lead but the staff had to draw the line with Haynesworth.
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