In what should not be a surprise to anyone, Albert Haynesworth has said in a statement that he plans to appeal the Washington Redskins' decision to suspend him without pay for the final four games of the NFL season.
Calling the Redskins' claims "vague and without merit," Haynesworth's agent Chad Speck writes that it is "unfortunate" that Haynesworth has not been used more in the Redskins' defense and notes that Haynesworth simply wants to get on the field. He added that general manager Bruce Allen had not submitted anything in writing prior to today suggesting Haynesworth has engaged in conduct detrimental to the team.
Here is the full statement, via John Keim of the Washington Examiner.
"I have reviewed the Notice of Suspension letter sent to Albert by Bruce Allen as well as the comments made by Coach Shanahan. Albert and I have discussed the claims made in the Notice of Suspension and we disagree with the Redskins' decision. He was surprised by the suspension, the maximum permitted under the CBA, and will certainly appeal it.
The accusations made by Coach Shanahan and Bruce Allen are vague and without merit. Since training camp began, today's notice was the first that Albert received informing him that his conduct was not consistent with the "terms of his contract" as Coach Shanahan claims. Bruce confirmed to me today, that there have been no other letters or formal notices of any kind sent to Albert during the regular season suggesting that he was engaging in conduct detrimental to the team. We will begin the appeal process immediately and expect the facts to come to light during arbitration.
Albert has repeatedly asked for a bigger role in the defense - he simply wants to play and maximize his contribution to the team. It is unfortunate that he has not been utilized more, as the Redskins defense causes more turnovers and gives up fewer total yards, rushing yards, passing yards, first downs, third down conversions and points when Albert plays in the game."
It is not surprising that Haynesworth would appeal the suspension, but it is somewhat surprising that the statement goes into this much detail about the situation. Or maybe that's just me.