Albert Haynesworth had a reputation for angry outbursts long before he crossed the line of good judgment and common decency in Nashville, Tenn.
In 2003, as a second-year defensive tackle with the Tennessee Titans, he kicked teammate Justin Hartwig in the chest at the conclusion of a practice play.
As a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, he once fought with a teammate in practice, left the field and, according to the Associated Press, returned with a metal pole looking for the player.
But no one could have predicted that Haynesworth, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound behemoth, would stomp a helmet-less opponent in the face with his cleats Sunday, opening a head wound that required 30 stitches and left onlookers aghast.
Or could they?
From Charlotte, N.C., where Hartwig is a center with the Carolina Panthers, Haynesworth's former teammate said he wasn't surprised. "He just loses his mind sometimes," Hartwig told reporters this week.
In Baltimore, Ravens left tackle Jonathan Ogden conceded that he was not exactly shocked, either. "I'll put it like this," he said yesterday. "If you told me that somebody in the NFL would do that, he would be on my short list."
Then there was Dr. Mitch Abrams, a sports psychologist who specializes in violence prevention and works with inmates on mental health at six New Jersey prisons.
"It's a mistake to believe that athletes can turn it on or turn it off when nobody is teaching them that," Abrams said. "It's not surprising it was a defensive lineman who did this. Anger at high levels interferes with the ability to make good decisions."
Haynesworth's actions were so egregious that new NFL commissioner Roger Goodell handed out the league's biggest suspension for on-field misconduct - five games - which is more than twice the previous high. It is expected to cost him more than $190,000 in loss of salary.
It was so far over the line of accepted behavior that Haynesworth, 25, will not appeal his penalty, despite the fact that the NFL Players Association appeals almost every discipline meted out.
Haynesworth received good news yesterday for the first time since he kicked Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode twice in the head, once after Gurode's helmet was knocked off. Gurode's agent announced that the player will not file criminal charges.
Filing charges over violence in sports is not unprecedented. Two NHL players, Todd Bertuzzi and Marty McSorley, both faced lawsuits after they willfully injured opponents in separate on-ice acts.
