Larry Johnson is awaiting word from the N.F.L on whether he’ll be suspended for using slurs referring to gays in communicating with a Twitter follower and in talking to reporters.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has issued an apology for remarks he has made since Sunday’s loss to the San Diego Chargers. The Chiefs are also investigating the matter and have told Johnson to stay away from the team.
Johnson, on his Twitter account Sunday night, posted demeaning comments toward Chiefs head coach Todd Haley and used a gay slur in another post before issuing another gay remark on Monday.
“First of all, I want to apologize to the fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the NFL, Commissioner Goodell, the Chiefs organization, Coach Todd Haley, his staff, and my teammates for the words I used yesterday,” Johnson said in his apology. “I regret my actions. The words were used by me in frustration, and they were not appropriate. I did not intend to offend anyone, but that is no excuse for what I said.
“I also want to apologize to all the kids who view athletes as role models. I was not a good role model yesterday and hopefully I can become a better role model. We all make mistakes, and the challenge is to learn from them. I will do my best to learn from this one as I move toward becoming a better person, teammate, and member of the Kansas City Chiefs team and community.”
The Chiefs also issued a statement on Tuesday. “The Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League are continuing to investigate the alleged comments made by Larry Johnson,” the statement read. “Until that review is complete, the Chiefs have instructed Larry to refrain from practicing with the Chiefs or participating in other team activities. A decision regarding Larry’s status will be made once the investigation has concluded.” Johnson has had a history of problems off the field during his tenure with the Chiefs.
In March of this year, Johnson pleaded guilty to two counts of disturbing the peace stemming from two separate incidents last October involving women at Kansas City nightclubs. Johnson was subsequently benched by the Chiefs for consecutive weeks following the initial incident then suspended by the NFL and deactivated by the team to focus on his personal life after word of the second incident surfaced.
The Penn State product had already faced two previous charges with assaulting a woman. In 2003 Johnson was accused of aggravated assault and misdemeanor domestic battery for waving a gun at his ex-girlfriend, but the charges were dropped because the running back entered a domestic-violence program. In 2005, Johnson was accused of pushing a woman to the ground at another KC nightspot, but the charges were later dropped.
