Haynesworth became a highly coveted free agent after his 2008 campaign, which led to him signing a seven-year, $100 million contract with the Washington Redskins.

As a result, the Redskins' acquisition of Haynesworth is considered among the worst free agent signings in history.

[5][6] He attended Hartsville High School,[7] and participated in football and track, throwing the shot put.

He earned Sporting News Freshman All-American honors in 1999 and was named Second-team All-Southeastern Conference after his junior season.

[12] Considered "potentially a brutal run-stopper" by The New York Times,[13] Haynesworth was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the first round with the 15th overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft.

[17] Haynesworth made his NFL debut in the Titans' 2002 regular season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles and had two tackles.

[35] Roger Goodell, who had recently become NFL's commissioner in the past month, stated that there was "absolutely no place in the game, or anywhere else" for Haynesworth's behavior.

However, ESPN's Mark Schlereth, a 12-year NFL veteran, felt that Haynesworth should have been suspended for the rest of the season.

[36] Haynesworth's suspension was the longest for an in-game incident in NFL history until it was surpassed by Vontaze Burfict, who was suspended 12 games plus the 2019 playoffs for repeated violations of helmet hit rules.

[38] In a press conference on October 5, Haynesworth apologized to all who watched the game and said he had entered counseling to control his emotions.

[43] On September 9, 2007, in the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Haynesworth was called for unnecessary roughness when he slammed running back Maurice Jones-Drew to the ground after a tackle.

It was a difficult time in my life, but I was determined to keep working hard to get to this point and earn the respect of my teammates, coaches and fans."

[56] Haynesworth reported on Sirius Blitz that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offered him a $120 million deal that could potentially increase by 20%.

[58] From the beginning of his time with the Redskins, Haynesworth presented problems for the coaching staffs of both Jim Zorn and Mike Shanahan.

After a 45–12 loss to the New York Giants on Monday Night Football in 2009, Haynesworth questioned the scheme of defensive coordinator Greg Blache, and stated that he could not "survive another season in this system if it stays the way it is.

"[59] After the 2009 season he refused to participate in off-season workouts, and arrived at camp in poor physical condition, unable to pass a basic fitness test.

After a dispute over his absence at a practice in which Haynesworth claimed to be ill, the team suspended him for "conduct detrimental to the club".

Head coach Mike Shanahan said the suspension followed a refusal by Haynesworth to cooperate in a variety of ways and not only because of the practice absence.

[74] Arrest warrants were issued against Haynesworth in two Tennessee counties in May 2006 stemming from a traffic incident on Interstate 40.

The judge in the Putnam County case tossed the charges on the grounds that the alleged offense happened out of their jurisdiction.

In March 2009, Haynesworth was indicted on two misdemeanor traffic charges stemming from a December 2008 car accident in Tennessee.

According to papers, Haynesworth entered a commercial loan agreement for the original principal amount of $2,381,688.58 on June 27, 2009.

[77] In 2010, Silvia Mena, a stripper from New York, claimed in a $10 million lawsuit that Haynesworth impregnated her and left her with no financial assistance.

[76] In 2011, Haynesworth allegedly threw a punch to the nose of Joel Velazques, 38, of Leesburg, Virginia during a traffic altercation.

[79] On September 28, 2020, Haynesworth was arrested in Cleveland, Tennessee, and charged with domestic assault after he was accused of yelling at and threatening his former girlfriend and her boyfriend.

[80] In a response to Haynesworth's failure to pass the Redskins' conditioning test in July 2010,[60][81] the edition of August 27, 2010, of satire news organization The Onion ran the headline (with an accompanying photo), "Report: Albert Haynesworth Just A Mound Of Ice Cream And Hot Dogs.