Pro Football Weekly's Eric Edholm brings you hot news and the inside scoop about the NFL.
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Check out this audio clip from ESPN Radio 980, the Redskins' flagship network, as they talk to Redskins RB-KR Rock Cartwright about his new teammate, Albert Haynesworth. Note: this was recorded on the morning of free agency, a few hours after Haynesworth signed.
About 30 seconds in, Carwright says that he kind of knew the team was going to sign Haynesworth because "they had been talking." It's more interesting than anything, although proving the team's guilt will be a difficult chore.
Everyone knows that tampering exists in the NFL, but it's nearly impossible to prove. And team owner Daniel Snyder didn't hide the fact that he dined with Chad Speck, Haynesworth's agent, at the Indianapolis Combine -- they met under the guise of chatting about Redskins WR Malcolm Kelly, another Speck client.
And maybe they did talk about Kelly in 2009. In fact, I bet they did. But it's naive to think that spurious meetings like these do not go on all the time between agents and would-be employers before the start of free agency, when they are not allowed to speak about soon-to-be free agents.
The Titans were believed to be seeking tampering charges before this audio clip resurfaced, and though this can't be used as real evidence, it certainly does open the door even more for the Titans' case as being legitimate. If something damning is found, you can be certain that Roger Goodell will rule on this with a harsh hand.
Give it a listen and see what you think. It's not the whole story, but it's an intriguing sliver of it.