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NFL: Skins suspend unhappy tackle

The antagonism between Albert Haynesworth and Mike Shanahan came to a head Tuesday when the two-time all-pro defensive lineman was suspended by the Washington Redskins without pay for the rest of the season.

The antagonism between Albert Haynesworth and Mike Shanahan came to a head Tuesday when the two-time all-pro defensive lineman was suspended by the Washington Redskins without pay for the rest of the season.

Citing a litany of acts that essentially add up to season-long insubordination, the Redskins suspended Haynesworth for "conduct detrimental to the club" and told him he's not welcome for the team's final four games.

"Despite the club's numerous attempts to persuade Albert Haynesworth to abide by the terms of his contract, he has repeatedly refused to cooperate with our coaching staff in a variety of ways over an extended period of time," Shanahan said in statement released by the team.

"Among other things, he has consistently indicated to our defensive coaches that he refuses to play in our base defense or on first-down or second-down nickel situations. He has also refused to follow the instructions of our coaches both during weekly practices and during actual games as well.

"[Monday], when Albert was at Redskin Park, he told our general manager Bruce Allen that he [Haynesworth] would no longer speak with me. Although suspending any player is not a decision that a head coach enters into lightly, I believe the situation has reached the point where the club clearly has no alternative."

Haynesworth's agent, Chad Speck, was reviewing the suspension. George Atallah, spokesman for the NFL players' union, said the NFLPA is reviewing the details.

When Shanahan first took over the Redskins, Haynesworth told him he didn't want to play nose tackle in Shanahan's 3-4 scheme. Shanahan told the tackle to go find another team - contingent upon giving up a $21 million bonus due on April 1.

Haynesworth didn't want to give up that much money, so he stayed on the roster, but remained disgruntled.

Rex: "We're sorry." New York's 45-3 loss to New England was the Jets' most lopsided defeat since falling to the Miami Dolphins in 1986 by the same score.

"It was the game of the year," a bloodshot-eyed coach Rex Ryan said Tuesday. "The unfortunate thing is I feel bad for ourselves, obviously, our fans and, really, the NFL. The NFL deserved a better game than that, but we weren't up to the task."

Meanwhile, Jets safety James Ihedigbo had an MRI exam on his knee and sprained ankle, and Ryan said the team would cut Laveranues Coles to make roster room for a healthy safety.

No to Broncos. Air Force coach Troy Calhoun reiterated his commitment to the academy amid speculation he'd be the prime candidate to take over at Denver. Calhoun was a Broncos assistant under Mike Shanahan whose successor, Josh McDaniels, was fired Monday.

Moves. Alex Smith was named San Francisco's starting quarterback for Sunday's game at home against NFC West rival Seattle. . . . Buffalo placed guard Kraig Urbik on the season-ending injured reserve list and promoted guard Chad Rinehart from the practice squad. . . . Arizona placed quarterback Max Hall on injured reserve and signed former Redskins third-stringer Richard Bartel. Hall dislocated his left shoulder on Sunday. . . . Tampa Bay re-signed center Donovan Raiola, who was released in September. . . . The Steelers signed former Packers punter Jeremy Kapinos to replace Daniel Sepulveda, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Labor. The NFL reached an agreement with the Players' Association to extend the union's deadline to file a collusion claim. statement. The union had until this week - 90 days after the start of the season - to level charges that teams had conspired to restrict players' salaries this past offseason. The new deadline is not known.

Jurisprudence. A lawyer for former NFL star Lawrence Taylor has been granted a pretrial hearing next month to cross-examine police officers about Taylor's rape arrest.

Taylor's defense claimed his arrest was illegal because police did not have a warrant when they burst into his suburban hotel room in May.