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Albert Haynesworth of the Washington Redskins warms up before the preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at FedEx Field on Aug. 13, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
A report has emerged that Washington Redskins defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth, is suffering from rhabdomyolysis, which caused him to miss several days of practice last week.
Coach Mike Shanahan said that the reason for his absence was due to headaches. However, The Washington Post who broke the story, noted that Haynesworth suffered from symptoms more severe than headaches.
Haynesworth told The Post that he "just wants people to say the truth about what's going on. That's it. A headache? That's not what's going on."
Rhabdomyolysis causes the muscle fibers in the body to break down into myoglobin and enter the blood stream.
Myoglobin, a protein pigment, can then form into compounds which can potentially harm the body and has to be handled by the kidneys.
NFL.com noted that rhabdomyolysis can be treated by an increase in hydration and urination to flush out the potential toxins.
Team doctors told The Washington Post that Haynesworth has likely recovered and that he had played the second half of the 23 -3 preseason loss against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.
Throughout much of the off season, Haynesworth and Shanahan have been at odds with each other, with Haynesworth refusing to work out with the Redskins in favor of his own personal trainer.
Haynesworth, who in 2009 signed a seven-year $100 million contract with Washington, also said he wanted to be traded because the new Redskins’ 3-4 defensive scheme meant that he would have to play a possibly different position at nose tackle.
As a result of not working out with the team, Haynesworth had to pass a conditioning test in order to attend the Redskins training camp. He didn’t pass the test until the 10th day of training camp.
