Mike Shanahan took time out from the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship on Thursday in Lake Tahoe to discuss Terrell Owens and Albert Haynesworth -- two high-profile names linked to the Washington Redskins. And the coach didn't mince words on each player's situation.
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When asked about the possibility of reuniting Owens with former teammate Donovan McNabb as a Redskin, Shanahan told New York's WFAN-AM (via *The Washington Post*) that "I made a commitment relative to T.O., that we were not gonna go in that direction."
Shanahan also was asked about Haynesworth, who has lost over 30 pounds as he prepares for the start of training camp -- an interesting development from a player who has been vocal about his unhappiness with the team's switch to a 3-4 defense and has stayed away from offseason activities.
"I talked to Albert about a month after I got the job and sat down with him and I said if he did not want to be part of the Washington Redskins, that I'd let him go," Shanahan told WFAN. "I wouldn't trade him, I'd let him go to another football team. But if he did take the check for $21 million, I expected him to play any position that we thought would be in the best interest of the Washington Redskins, be it nose tackle, defensive end or if we wanted to play him at free safety, but we expected him to come in in great shape and do the things that he's capable of doing.
"And hopefully he does that. He hasn't shown up for minicamp, so guys are gonna be looking at him, to see what type of shape he's in, if he's willing to do the little things the right way. And time will tell. If he is buying in, and he is in great shape, we know what type of talent he is, and we know he can help our football team win."
Shanahan echoed some of those comments during an interview on NFL Network.
Several of Haynesworth's teammates have been outspoken about the lineman's absence from workouts. When Shanahan was asked Thursday if he was concerned about the players' reaction to Haynesworth's return, he said: "You know, I don't even worry about that. I want guys that are gonna come in and work extremely hard, and hopefully Albert does that."
"Does he need to do that with the rest of his teammates? I think he does. I think he's got to come in in great shape. People have to know that he's gonna do what's in the best interests of our organization to help us win. We're gonna play him at a position that we think will help us win, and hopefully he can play at that high level, because he's very talented. And hopefully he makes that commitment when he comes in."
