Larry Johnson Tweets His Way Into Trouble
The Kansas City Chiefs confirmed Monday that they had run out of patience with his off-the-field problems and released Larry Johnson the day he was due to come back from his second suspension in a year.
Johnson, who turns 30 on Nov. 19, was just 75 yards away from breaking Priest Holmes’ team rushing record.
The decision by the Chiefs (1-7) was not a surprise.
“A part of him is excited and a part of him is very regretful,” Johnson’s agent, Peter Schaffer, told The Associated Press. “There’s a lot of feelings going on right now. It’s analogous to breaking up with a girlfriend. Maybe you saw it coming, but it still hurts when it happens.”
A No. 1 draft choice out of Penn State in 2003, Johnson was one of the best running backs in the NFL in 2005 and 2006, rushing for more than 1,700 yards in each of those Pro Bowl seasons.
But often angry and sour, he was dogged by controversy and frequently at odds with coaches and fans. On Oct. 25, in what turned out to be his final episode with the Chiefs, he posted on his Twitter account several insults to fans, questioned coach Todd Haley’s credentials and used a gay slur.
“my father got more creditentials than most of these pro coaches. … google my father!!!!!!!”
“My father played for the coach from “rememeber the titans”. Our coach played golf. My father played for redskins briefley. Our coach. Nuthn”
But Larry wasn’t done there. He decided to get into it with some other people on the internet that he doesn’t even know.
Jared Launius: Interesting comments by Larry Johnson ( @toonlcon ) about “coaches.” Hey LJ, is it Haley’s fault you fall when D-Linemen blow on you?
Larry: “@jaredlaunius Sorry ur a cornball n ur mom birthed u broke. But I’m cakn patna. While u work or school for 5 dollas n hour. Ha!”
Jared Launius: “Apologies. His Twitter alias is @toonicon whatever the hell that means. Probably something about spitting in women’s faces.”
Larry: “@jaredlaunius think bout a clever diss than that wit your fag pic. Christopher street boy. Is what us east coast cats call u.”
And still more:
“@DrewK30 got nuthn to do wit hiring my father. But u wouldn’t know cuz u don’t play either so keep on the sideline lil gril n cheer.”
“@KD2407 then don’t reply then. Still richer then u. Keep goin. Come play our game ooops forgot u can’t.”
He repeated the slur the next day to reporters and was suspended for two weeks. At Peter Schaffer’s urging, the Chiefs cut the financial penalty in half, saving him about $315,000.
Johnson was the subject of an online petition last week calling on the Chiefs not to let him break the team rushing record. He was never a fan favorite and his apology for the online comments came almost exactly one year after issuing a similar apology for alleged incidents involving women in Kansas City night clubs.
In 2008, then coach Herm Edwards benched him for three straight games for violating team rules. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him a fourth game for violating the league’s player conduct policy.
Johnson was later sentenced to two years’ probation after pleading guilty to two counts of disturbing the peace. One woman accused him of throwing a drink on her and another said he had pushed her head at a Kansas City night spot.
A judge suspended the sentence and said he would remove the guilty plea from the public record if Johnson has no further legal problems during probation.
On the field, Johnson has not run with the quickness and strength that characterized his Pro Bowl years since setting an NFL record with 416 rushing attempts in 2006. He set the team single-season rushing record that season with 1,789 yards.
This year, in 132 carries behind inconsistent blocking, he averaged only 2.7 yards per carry. He ends his Chiefs career with 5,996 yards rushing and 55 touchdowns. He also caught 151 passes for 1,369 yards and six TDs.
Larry Johnson’s Twitter slur also highlights how NFL players can get in trouble with the communication tool. The NFL has tried to crack down on when and how players can use Twitter but such rules may come too late to save Johnson and his reputation.
I usually like to end a post in a scarastic comment but this situation is different and serious. BossladyNYC said it best this morning, “Whether you know it or recognize it or not, you are a teacher. There are people watching you” – Maya Angelou
Do you think the decision by The Kansas City Chiefs to release larry Johnson was appropriate?
Another person who thinks they are above the rules. When will the rich learn. Reality hurts!
@How about when will the stupid learn to shut the hell up lol
That has nothing to do with the rich, that’s just thinking he’s ontop of the world. He’s about to learn that there’s consequences for that.
1. He can be replaced. There’s always someone waiting for the opportunity.
2. He’ll try getting a position on another team after talking mass trash about your old coach. They’ll tell him to go work for your father. No one wants someone who’s going to pop off negatively unpredictably verbaly or on the keyboard.
3. He’s going to miss that money.
4. Worst part is he got to out the real life game by a net tuff guy and for being an e-thug. He’s going to have a huge WYF moment when he reflects on that part. And that guy will be laughing at him from his moms basement. KARMA mollywhopped his…
Larry Johnson was a top RB for a couple of years. No one said he was a Rhodes Scholar. Don’t know him personally, but his words of “I play football and get paid, so anyone else has nothing to add” would be fine if he could be a country of one. But by the virtue of him “tweeting” it shows that even he doesn’t believe that he is an island unto himself and so his thought process is flawed. Sometimes, a humbling experience gets people back on track. LJ is likely to have that now – maybe he’ll become a better human being because of it.
his mustache is ever so on point, the way he cheated his way through swag fame got my balls wet, his jumpshot goes ham too bra if you ever watch the way he plays while eatin buffalo wings wit EXTRA RANCH you would feel my point of view to the fullest yo.
so yall need to get down and bang the swagga feeda one mo time ya’ll
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