Albert Haynesworth Reportedly Fails Conditioning Test With Redskins

The Washington Redskins have opened their 2010 training camp. Under new coach Mike Shanahan, the culture is expected to change around the team, as the veteran tries to turn this franchise into a consistent winner.

Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth has been causing trouble virtually the entire offseason. The team never did find a place to trade him, so Haynesworth is at training camp.

Of course, he can't practice until he passes a conditioning test, and that is proving easier said than done.

ESPN.com's John Clayton reported Thursday that Haynesworth failed his conditioning test. Citing a source, Clayton wrote that Haynesworth had planned on doing two sprints Thursday, but when Shanahan determined there was too much rest time in between them, he asked the big lineman to do a third, which he failed.

Clayton added that Haynesworth's protests about the sprints fell on deaf ears.

Haynesworth failed the third sprint. A source said Haynesworth told Shanahan he never ran three such sprints during his best Pro Bowl seasons. Shanahan then told Haynesworth that he must not have ever been in shape.

Shanahan is clearly trying to engineer a turnaround, and while this might be a diversion while the Redskins try to figure out what to do with the disgruntled and highly compensated lineman, he could also be sending a message to the team.

Of course, if you assume Haynesworth is truthful about never having run this kind of sprint before, it's kind of scary to think about what he would be capable of doing if he were what Shanahan terms "in shape."

Either way, Shanahan is the boss, and Haynesworth better get used to the new coach's way if he wants to be on the field.