Another Open Letter to Haynesworth

I’ve been sitting back for the last month reading and listening to everything being said about you and while I’m basically a nobody who you probably won’t care a bit for what I say I felt I needed to share my thoughts and feelings on your situation.

As you can probably guess, I’m a big Redskins fan. I’m from Waldorf, Maryland and grew up with my family watching the Skins games whenever they were on. They would have parties and cook outs and cheer our favorite team on each and every time they played. We stood behind the team through thick and thin no matter what.

Now, believe it or not, you and I are somewhat alike. You signed a contract for a lot of money. When you signed this contract you were probably told certain things, as you’ve said, but even if those things didn’t come to fruition you were still being paid to do your job and do what you’re coaches thought was best for the team. You are being paid a lot of money to do these things. You’re probably wondering why I’m telling you all these things you already know and wondering how you and I could be alike. Well, let me explain.

As I said, you signed a contract but so did I. One of the differences is the contract I signed was for a lot less money and it was for the United States Army. They told me a bunch of things too. Some were true and some weren’t. Here’s another difference between the two of us. If I don’t like what my “coaches” tell me to do I don’t stay home and play a woe is me roll. I suck it up like and adult and understand that what I’m being told to do may not be to my liking but it is most likely for the good of the team and my fellow Soldiers. Another difference is you are being paid a lot more money for seven years then I’ll ever see in my lifetime but I’m not complaining because what I do allows you to live the life you live and earn the money you do. It allows you to play a sport you profess to love and see your family and provide them with a good life. The thing that I am complaining about is how you say you are all about the team but you aren’t. Go spend some time with some servicemen from any service to see what TEAM really means.

I tell my Soldiers I don’t care what you say I care what you do. The same applies to you and what you are doing speaks volumes. It doesn’t matter that you are unhappy with the new scheme. You aren’t the coach. You don’t decide what scheme the team plays. You are being paid, a lot, to honor your contract to the best of your ability and do your job until that contract is over. If you want to be a coach, quit being a player and do that. Until then understand, you don’t know everything and only make yourself look bad by acting like you do.

All this is said because I love my team and while I was deployed to Iraq last year I had to read the games on the NFL website just so that I knew how my team was doing. It was very disappointing to say the least. Even more so when our highest paid player doesn’t seem to care and takes himself out of games when he gets tired. I wish I had the same option but as I said, I signed a contract and I have honored it to the best of my ability for 17+ years. I wish you would honor yours for the remainder of it.

I look forward to the 2010 season and hope that you plan to put your team first instead of yourself like you have been doing. Thank you for taking the time to listen to what I have to say and good luck.

SFC Michael J Hunter