Defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth returned to Redskins Park on Monday, his four-game suspension officially at an end.
Haynesworth took a season-ending physical and then departed the facility – perhaps for the final time.
He did not meet with head coach Mike Shanahan.
"I didn't really think much about [meeting with Haynesworth]," Shanahan said in his season-ending press conference. "I knew he had to come in for a physical. I thought he may stop by, I wasn't really sure. He did not."
Shanahan said he did not seek out Haynesworth, either.
"I didn't do that for any player on the football team," he added.
Haynesworth briefly entered the Redskins Park locker room during a time when media interviews were taking place. He declined to talk to reporters and then left.
Asked if Haynesworth met with any assistant coaches, Shanahan replied: "I don't think he met with any other coaches, not that I'm aware of. He did have his physical and he did check out."
It seems highly unlikely that Haynesworth, a two-time Pro Bowler who signed a lucrative contract with the Redskins in March 2009, would return to Washington next season.
On Dec. 7, the Redskins suspended Haynesworth without pay for the final four games for conduct detrimental to the team.
The Redskins cited Haynesworth's refusal to cooperate with the coaching staff and his unwillingness to play in certain defensive packages as reasons for the suspension.
A day before the suspension, Haynesworth told general manager Bruce Allen that he would no longer speak with Shanahan.
According to a statement released by Shanahan, the team felt it had "no alternative" but to suspend Haynesworth.
Veteran defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday, one of Haynesworth's closest friends on the team, said he spoke with Haynesworth on Monday.
Holliday called it "a little weird" to see Haynesworth inside Redskins Park after he had been absent for four weeks.
"It's just unfortunate the way things played out this year for him," Holliday said. "He's a very talented guy that can bring so much to your team. Unfortunately things didn't work out for him ... I hope that he uses this as some type of motivation – if he's here, or wherever he is – to take it to that next level and to play, and he learns and grows from this."
Holliday said he hoped that Shanahan and Haynesworth eventually do meet to discuss the situation.
"I think there has to be some closure to the situation," Holliday said. "I don't know what's going to happen with Albert, but they have an opportunity to talk things out. I know that, towards the end of the suspension, they didn't get a chance to talk or communicate exactly what they were both feeling, and the reasons why. Hopefully they'll come to some conclusion."
