LANDOVER, Md. — Albert Haynesworth took his most defiant stand yet against Mike Shanahan on Saturday night, saying the Redskins coach underplayed the two-time all-pro’s medical condition in recent days and that he intends to boycott next year’s offseason conditioning program as well.
Speaking after the Red- skins’ 23-3 loss to the Ravens, Haynesworth also said he shouldn’t have been playing in the third quarter — when only backups were in the game.
Haynesworth stopped practicing early Tuesday at training camp and did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. Shanahan gave varying explanations for Haynesworth’s idleness each day. The coach initially said Haynesworth “just was sick,” then said the cause was dehydration, then finally said it was “more of a headache than anything else.”
Haynesworth said he had something more, but he didn’t specify what.
“You’ll have to ask them, but I guess they’ll tell you ‘headaches’ again,” said Haynesworth, emphasizing the word by holding his fingers in the air to simulate quotation marks. “It was part of it, but it wasn’t all of it. They left out a whole lot of stuff.”
Why would the Redskins do that?
“I don’t know,” Haynesworth said. “I guess make yourself look good, I don’t know.”
Steelers are in good hands
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — On a night Ben Roethlisberger got back to playing football, the Steelers showed they have a chance to survive the start of the season without their suspended star quarterback.
Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon combined to lead three long touchdown drives after Roethlisberger made his preseason debut and the Steelers defeated the Giants 24-17, spoiling New York’s first home game in its new $1.6 billion stadium.
In other exhibition-game highlights:
• Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay’s second-year quarterback, fractured the tip of the thumb on his throwing hand and will be sidelined at least until the opening week of the regular season in a win over the Chiefs.
• Playing in the Superdome for the first time since the NFC championship game last season, the Saints’ high-powered offense picked up where it left off, rolling over the Texans in a 38-20 victory.
• Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, who missed all but one game last season after hurting his wrist in the season opener, injured his calf on the opening drive in a loss to the Raiders and did not return.
Footnotes.
The Chargers said 35-year-old offensive tackle Tra Thomas has retired, leaving the team woefully thin at a crucial position.
• Bills tight end Derek Schouman will be out three to six weeks with a knee injury, leaving Buffalo with only two healthy tight ends on its roster.
• The Redskins placed wide receiver Mike Furrey on injured reserve because of a concussion, ruling him out for the season.
