Albert Haynesworth Accused Of Sexual Assault

This guy just can't seem to avoid negative publicity. According to this story by the Washington Post, Haynesworth is being accused of sexually assaulting a waitress at the W Hotel in Washington over the weekend. Here is a little of the report:

Sources say a waitress claims that Albert Haynesworth sexually abused her over the weekend at the W Hotel in Washington.

Police are investigating the complaint made by the waitress.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is expected to review the evidence in the case to see what, if any, charges may be brought against Haynesworth.

According to a police report obtained by NBC Washington, the waitress stated that her hands were full carrying glasses as she was clearing the table at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

She said that "Subject 1" tried to pay his bill by giving her his credit card, but he asked if it was OK to stick the card in her blouse near her breast area. She nodded her head yes and, according to the report, she said he then placed the card into her blouse gently, sliding the card further into her left side of the blouse and then started to caress her breast.

There's nothing kosher about this situation. Whether Haynesworth is officially charged or not the Redskins should seriously considering cutting him loose. It's becoming clear that the Haynesworth era in Washington has run it's course and it's time to pull the plug. Hopefully they do and Haynesworth will have better luck with a different organization.

-ALR

Drama For Deron Williams And All That's Jazz

It's starting to sound like Utah might have a disgruntled Employee #8 on their hands... Per this story in the Salt Lake Tribune Jazz guard Deron Williams, arguably the top PG in the NBA (see here for our take onthe pg debate), is growing frustrated with the inconsistent play of his team this season. Here are some of his comments;

Williams said that a much-changed Jazz squad had a “better mesh of guys” in 2009-10, longing for the days when ex-Utah guards Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver could command attention and respect from opposing defenses, in turn stretching the floor and balancing out the team’s offensive attack.

And Williams again pointed out the Jazz’s inability to run Sloan’s offense like it needs to be executed, as everything from Utah’s poor floor spacing and timing to the simple inability to set hard screens has prevented his team from “flowing.”

“We’re trying to run half of a system and then half just freelance,” Williams said. “We can’t do that. We’re not the Phoenix Suns. We’re not the New York Knicks. We’re not just coming out here and playing one-on-one. But that’s what’s happening. Things are breaking down and we’re going one-on-one the last five seconds of a shot clock.”

When Williams was asked if he has the ability to ask Sloan for on-the-court changes, his response was layered in sarcasm.

“We’ve been running the same plays for 23 years. Why change now?” Williams said.
He added: “I’m just going to play basketball, man. That’s all I can do.”
Can't say that I fault Williams one bit for his frustrations. During the summer Utah lost Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver to the Bulls while only acquiring Al Jefferson via trade from Minnesota to fill the void. But in that same regard, one thing DW needs to realize that the Jazz may be overachieving as it is. The current roster doesn't have much talent or depth, yet the Jazz are 27-17 and Williams is having a career year. I can understand Deron's competitive approach to the team but in this case reality has to prevail. The Jazz were not supposed to be very good this season.

I think one of two things will  happen in Utah:

1.) DeronWilliams can stick it out in Utah and follow in the footsteps of previous Jazz Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone. But this is only a good option if the Jazz upgrade the talent to compliment Williams and Paul Milsap/Al Jefferson as they did by adding Jeff Hornacek to the Stockton/Malone combo.

or,

2.) DW8 plays out the remaining year and a half of his current deal without conflict and then explore his options in free agency where he can will generate plenty of interest from legit contenders, where I would almost go as far to guarantee the Lakers and Mavericks will be the top suitors. I'm no psychic, but I see this as the more likely result.

Just remember you heard it first...

-ALR

Tell Em Why You Mad Son!

Dallas Cowboys rookie wide receiver, Dez Bryant, was recently a victim of a practical joke. After a night out at a steak house with some teammates, he was left to foot the bill, which came out to somewhere around $55K.
According to reports, the alleged mastermind behind the prank was veteran wide receiver Roy Williams. Williams and Bryant made headlines over the summer after Bryant refused to carry Williams' shoulder pads when told to do so.
It was a classic case of a rookie bucking the tradition of rookie hazing. People took sides. Some felt Bryant just should've carried the pads. Others felt Williams just picked on Bryant out of jealousy, since he was drafted to replace him. Everyone agreed that Williams sucked. The story eventually fell into the background after the Cowboys started 0-2.
I never gave a damn, because I'm a 49er fan.
But, I will tell you why I'm mad.
I'm mad that this prank is going to cost an individual $55K. I'm mad that while I know that individual did sign a contract with a $12 million signing bonus, the bonus is the only part of the contract that he's guaranteed to see. I'm mad that we as a society don't look at allegedly small instances like this one, and understand its a large part of the reason that a majority of professional athletes wind up broke less than half a decade after retirement.
And yeah, I'm mad that that one night cost him more money than I'm going to make this year.
Actually, that's got me more than mad. Borderline pissed. People gave Adam "Pacman" Jones a lot of grief for bringing a trashbag full of $80K to the "scrip club", but I can't see how this is any different, if not worse. For some strange reason, it makes more sense to waste multiple thousands of dollars throwing twenty dollar bills at naked women, than feeding ten men for one night.
Trust me, I'm an expert at wasting more than you're net worth throwing it at naked women. There are few things in life less rewarding, but I'd have to put feeding a bunch of dudes one meal is one of those things.
Still, I'm most mad that people aren't making a bigger deal about this. My brother once made me realize something that put athletes finances in proper perspective. He said something like 12 million dollars for an athlete or celebrity pretty much equals to one pretty fun decade, and then bankruptcy.
Once you account for taxes, families, and entourages, give or take a few gambling problems, paternity suits, DUI's, or overly-generous donation to a charity for tax writeoff purposes, these guys should really be more concerned with their long-term finances. Especially in the NFL, where non-guaranteed contracts are the standard. The list of bankrupt current and former athletes reads like a whorehouse madame's clientle list. Mark Brunell, Antoine Walker, Duece McAllister, Evander Holyfield, Raghib Ismael, even Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Johnny Unitas.
In actuality, these pro athletes are two or three bad fiscal decisions from being bankrupt, at most. Just like the rest of America. Sadly, most will lose the majority of their fortune before they even knew they had it. That is why I'm mad.