DISQUS

Sean Wood · 4 weeks ago

I think it's a little naive to think the Tweets or the off-field issues are solely to blame. He's not playing like the Larry Johnson of old. Great play has protected many an off-field jerk (see Terrell Owens). But when your talent wanes, you need to keep your pie-hole shut, otherwise, you're bounced.

sorkens kammer · 4 weeks ago

Larry Johnson or anyone should be able to say anything they want, anytime they want. Stop giving up your rights one at a time. Why is everyone in this country trying not to offend fags, muslims, illegals, since when do they make up 1% of the rest of us.

summerca1 · 4 weeks ago

I would like to know when the 1st Amendment became obsolete. Did Larry Johnson use good judgement, it doesn't seem so. Is there still freedom of speech in the United States, last I heard there was. So I hope that Larry Johnson fights this based on his rights. In a time when so many are HOLLARING for equal rights, I see that those that signed that petition do not respect other peoples rights. I see many hollaring let us have this or that, yet when someone dares to use their First Amendment rights of Freedom of Speech, many jumped on the bandwagon and said do not respect this persons rights.
So now I will ask you then why should we respect your rights, why should we give you equal rights that you scream and hollar for.
Sure maybe fine him for what he did, at a reasonable fine not do all this bogus stuff to him. So I DO NOT want to ever hear again of any of you who signed that petition and called for him to be fired to ever, ever make any cry regarding your rights not being respected. You do not give others respect so I don't see that you have rights to be respected.
Larry Johnson I do hope that you take legal action regarding this violation against your 1st amendment rights

LeftyAce · 4 weeks ago

summerca1, learn to read. 1st Amendment states that the _government_ shall make no laws abridging freedom of speech. You're still free to fire someone for trash-talking your company and your customers. Freedom of speech says you can say whatever you want without the government throwing you in jail.....that doesn't mean the NFL is obligated to give you a platform from which to speak.

nine11c2 · 4 weeks ago

It is just amazing. Johnson, while still a decently productive runner, is clearly on the downside of his career. I assure you, if he was running for 150 yards a week and 2 touchdowns there would not have been such an uproar and he would not have been released.

Shane · 4 weeks ago

The tweets were the straw that broke the camel's back. He's had multiple domestic disputes where he has spit at, hit, and abused women. He's a locker room cancer who should have been released last year.

Larry Johnson has been a complete underperformer since the Chiefs lost perennial All-Pro lineman like Willie Roaf and Will Shields. His yards-per-carry average is a joke. He no longer runs with toughness. And he's a baby (Dick Vermiel was right all along when he made the infamous "diaper" comment about LJ).

I congratulate Scott Pioli and Todd Haley for getting rid of this cancerous joke of a running back. I hope he gets picked up by someone in the AFC West so we can play him twice a year. That automatically gives us an advantage.

sports fan · 4 weeks ago

shouldn't it be all about how the person plays? Who cares if someone's a prick or says stupid things.... People don't go to a game because of certain players they go to see their team WIN! PERIOD! Anyone who signed a petition needs to toughen up. If he sucked as a player that's one thing... this is stupid.

Sidra · 4 weeks ago

I understand your comment however, they get paid alot of money not just for playing a game but they are in the public eye which fans and children look up to. We are have to be accountable for our decisions especially if we are in public view.

advocatus · 4 weeks ago

Except when your players go around spouting homophobic comments and general stupidity that gives your team bad publicity. Great, you win... but if the stadiums empty, who cares?

Joel Price · 4 weeks ago

The last few years he's been terrible on the field. Trust me... if he was contributing in a positive way on the field they wouldn't have released him. This is not a "twitter sack" story. The Chiefs have only won THREE games in the last TWO years. Johnson was a really good player for the Chiefs 3 or 4 years ago, but has progressively underperformed in recent years. The only way you can tie social media with this is to say... when your underperforming in the NFL, keep your mouth shut, no matter what medium is being used.

It should be noted he's wanted out of KC for a few years. He got exactly what he wanted.

Lame · 4 weeks ago

He plays like crap. He should have been sacked weeks ago for his pathetic YPC average.

mpinsky · 4 weeks ago

"sport fan" - Larry Johnson does suck. He has been playing crapy for the last two years and this year his production has been horrible. Read the petition. The petition makes the arguement that Larry Johnson is playing crappy football and therefore should not continue to play. It also make the arguement that he is a crappy guy and does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as other Chiefs legends. I personally know the original authors of the petition, I assure you it had as much to do with LJ's on field performance as it did with his off field antics. The authors did not intend to make the social commentary that the blog-world has created.

KCFan · 3 weeks ago

FYI...the petition was created because we (KC) didn't want a loser like LJ to take away a franchise record from an incredible player, Priest Holmes. LJ is a has-been, hasn't wanted to block since we got him and frankly is too much drama for our town. His attitude sucks - and his play sucked even more. Maybe you should learn more about what your talking about before you make comments such as the one above...

brian fanslau · 4 weeks ago

I really think it is a delicate thing and must be a bit frustrating for any sports player who does Tweet and has a temper or has a "bad day". I'm speaking very general here but people are flawed and we make spelling errors, yell at our kids, convict people on false grounds, miss plays, and don't always make the most responsible decisions. I think it might be a bit rash for someone to lose their career over what they may say in an angry state or unclear state of mind.

As for this situation itself it appears that people out of spite possibly are adding themselves to the petition to keep him from breaking the record. There are always three sides to every story, My side, Your side and the Truth.

advocatus · 4 weeks ago

Whether something is said in anger or not is irrelevant. It was still said and the consequences need to be dealt with.

Steve · 4 weeks ago

I think Kansas City's kneejerk reaction (to a bunch of idiotic fair-weather fans) will probably result in another team picking up a marquee running back. Of course, this will be a positive thing in KC, not for the Chiefs, of course, but for their slackjawed, limp-wristed, swivel-hipped followers who will use this as yet another excuse for a piss-poor season. The Chiefs will probably spend another decade wallowing in the Sewer League, which is where they belong. Anytime a team, or team management, or a team owner, starts allowing fans to dictate who stays, or who plays, based on personal opinion, that team will spend its lifetime twisting in the wind, and will never amount to anything. Larry Johnson is well rid of a team that would treat him this way. I hope he comes back with an opposing team that runs circles around Kansas City. And I hope he tweets something derogatory about Kansas City after every rush.

MarcCobb · 4 weeks ago

Wow, really eloquent reaction. Way to completely miss the point of this whole situation. Pro sports leagues are responsible for portraying a positive public image. Whether homophobic people like agree or not, they have to consider the opinions of their fans...without which they would not make any money. Look at any of the teams in the NFL that have ended up failing and closing shop, moving to another city or simply fading into existence. Why? Because they lost their fan base, and no one cared.

BillLudwig · 4 weeks ago

Fair-weather KC Fans. LOL what a joke. I didn't read past that, anyone who thinks the Chiefs have fair-weather fans is living in the distant past when both Kansas City and Larry Johnson were good.

Moriah Jovan · 4 weeks ago

"anyone who thinks the Chiefs have fair-weather fans"

Agree completely.

Lisa S · 4 weeks ago

In my humble opinion, the petition may have played a small part in the official action by the Chiefs but I seriously doubt it was the end all. Johnson may be an excellent player but just because he has the skills should he be rewarded for consistent inappropriate behavior? Nope. Every little boy who dreams of being in the NFL and every NFL player who gets there should understand there is such a thing as protocol, as setting the example for others, that the game is not just ABOUT the game. It's about the whole person and what the whole person contributes to the team as a whole. Johnson NEVER respected that. It has always been about him, his talent, what HE'S entitled to. It's a bunch of horse pooey! Be a team player or don't but if you don't, suffer the consequences. My prayer for him is that he learns from this experience, grows up, becomes a man, and then gets another chance. But, as a Chief, not so much. Sorry but screw up and you suffer. He screwed up. He now suffers. Kudos to the Chiefs for standing up for what's right!

jeffisageek · 4 weeks ago

Like you mentioned in the story this was just another issue from Larry Johnson. He has had issues like this in the past plus domestic disputes with females and such. Think it was just time for both sides to move on.

MCinKC · 4 weeks ago

It wasn't just the tweets that got him canned. As noted in the article, he has a history and this wasn't the first time he has voiced his opinion on the franchise. He became a cancer to the team and needed to be cut. This was long past due.

Renaissance · 4 weeks ago

If he was as good as he used to be then it would have been cool! But now that he's old and sucks, he gets canned. Its called business. The Twitter angle is just a cop out for ownership and fans.

Dave Fluegge · 4 weeks ago

I agree with them. Players are like anyone else working for a company. If you talk bad about your company to millions...you will almost be guaranteed to be fired. He was talking bad about his employer (multiple times) and they let him go. Players are no different than the rest of us...well except that they make considerably more.

Moriah Jovan · 4 weeks ago

Players are like anyone else working for a company.

Except he was an underworking employee with an attitude problem that brought the morale of his coworkers, his bosses, AND his customers (Chiefs fans) down into the gutter with him.

And oh, let's not forget about how quick his fists are with his women.

Rob Nelson · 4 weeks ago

While these tweets may have been from a personal account, they were directed at the customers of the company for which LJ works.

If one of your employees made derogatory comments to one of your customers, would you not at least discipline the employee, if not fire him? Wouldn't you do so regardless of the employees performance on the job?

The company being a professional sports team only accentuates the damage that the employee can inflict with such comments.

Stephen Syn · 4 weeks ago

If I made comments like his and my company found out, the same thing would probably happen to me. My company recently had the IT guys remove and block all Facebook/MySpace/Twitter software from our network and now they ask new hires if they have a Facebook or social network account. If yes, they are required to let HR view the page as part of the application process. They insist that this is no invasion of privacy since the posts are public domain... maybe so. We have to post on the down-low. Why should he be excluded? I didn't know who he was until I read this article.

MrMonge of Hey,Monge! · 4 weeks ago

If you get publicity on citing your disdain for your employer, your going to get sacked. You basically managed to drag more people into your problem.

Colin Clark · 4 weeks ago

I don't understand. Are there still people out there who don't know that Twitter is a public medium. It's bad enough when athletes and celebs talk trash to the press and then it ends up in print, but at least then they can claim it was taken out of context.

If you put it on Twitter, it's your responsibility. They're your Tweets, it's your life. Just because it's on twitter doesn't mean there aren't consequences.

msfreeman · 4 weeks ago

Gay slurs and any other imflamtory remarks have no place in society today. He needed to be held accountable for his actions.

whitneymathews · 4 weeks ago

It wasn't just the Twitter comments that got him removed from the team. He's had a long history of idiocy (from beating women to b**ching about carries). This isn't all about social media. You should include his previous indiscretions in your post next time.

Michael D Richards · 4 weeks ago

Almost anybody who makes "derogatory remarks about his (boss) and a gay slur directed at a (customer)" would have the sense to quit as they were doing it.

Mike Murray · 4 weeks ago

Huh? Everybody saw this coming.

kivness · 4 weeks ago

All athletes are brand champions, whether they want to be or not. If they tarnish their brand by spitting out homophobic comments and petty jabs at management, it reflects poorly on the team-period. No one (and no brand) wants to be associated with someone who acts in such poor taste. I can't disregard the fact that it is very important for athletes to win games, but they won't have games to play if their fans turn on them. Who wants to support a team that justifies and keeps mum to such horrific behavior in this day and age?

Tony Santos · 4 weeks ago

It's about time. The rest of us are held responsible for our actions on the internet (see the bajillion blog posts about people not getting hired or getting fired over facebook comments/pictures) why shouldn't he? I hope it does make other celebrities reconsider how they use the medium of the internet, I hope it makes them realize that if you're a prick people aren't going to like you anymore. Doesn't matter how many yards you've rushed for or how many TDs you score.

Brad · 4 weeks ago

Actually, it DOES matter how many yards you rush or how many TDs you score. If LJ was playing like he did 3-4 years ago, he'd still be starting behind center every week regardless how many people signed a petition about him. There are plenty of other players who say and do stupid things on a daily basis and some fans get upset. But management knows that those same fans want to see a winning team, and they aren't going to get rid of a player who helps the team win.

And for others who've said the NFL is like any company, that's a really naive thing to say. The NFL is like no company 99% of us have ever worked for, so I really don't think the comparisons are valid. Pro athletes get paid exorbitant sums of money because they're good at sports, NOT because they're role models. Larry Johnson has done a lot of stupid things and he's not that good anymore. If the Chiefs fired him for that, then so be it. But if they fired him because of what he said on Twitter, they're setting the wrong kind of example.

This is ridiculous! · 4 weeks ago

The Gay Mafia is alive and well!

Katrina · 4 weeks ago

I think that this was a GREAT move. If you are not a team player and a positive player you should not play. Thank you fans for getting the ball rolling and this action to take place. Johnson should have not even came back this year after asking for more money and then acting like this. You can apologize all you want but you dont do any good for our team and like the last comment said a cancer to the team. Pentalizing players that make good money does not affect them, they could care less. There are so many good players that have a great attitude and play with their hearts, WE CAN FIND A REPLACEMENT!!! And he wanted out so what you want is what you get in this case. GO CHIEFS!!!

cskahan · 4 weeks ago

he needed to go; should have never been part of KC's organization

karenmarie allegri · 4 weeks ago

I was relieved that our Chiefs had relieved Mr. Johnson of his duties; but not so much because of his "twitters", but because of his overall LACK of effort on the field. All he wanted was the money and he ran hard enough to get it while Priest was injured. He BEGGED for an opportunity to prove himself as the man for the job, and Vermil gave him that opportunity, and the whole City vouched for him!!! Now he's ripped us off and cost us two whole seasons! The running game opens up your passing game via play-action passes. But ever since we've given L.J. the money he's stopped running altogether. Send him to another AFC team (a "winning" Division rival) so he can stop running for them, and give us a shot at the Play-Offs in 2010... GO Larry--TO ANOTHER TEAM!!!!

rgworld3 · 4 weeks ago

It's great movie.

http://www.seodoom.info

Kodes100 · 4 weeks ago

Everyone is responsible for what you say & do.
It doesn't matter what medium you use to say it on - period!

The Wandering Foodie · 4 weeks ago

Dude, seriously. If you're going to report football, report football. If you're going to report nerd news, report nerd news. Anyone who follows football pretty much knew this was going to happen. Would it kill you to do a little research before you post this stuff?

chiefsfannomore · 4 weeks ago

The chiefs are falling apart from the top down. Since the passing of Lamar Hunt the Chiefs are remnant of what they were. Rumors in some circles around town have it that the Hunt children are looking to sell out the team. The truth is the Chiefs were Lamar Hunt's passion. His kids share the legacy, but not the passion. They seem to be more interesting in the financial aspects. The team right now was picked to field the cheapest talent available, not to field a winning team. The coach was a journey man never recognized for great talent anywhere he was. Pioli is a legacy to Bill Parcells, he is his son in law. If these two guys were great minds do you think the Cardinals, Partriots or Cowboys organizations would have ever let them go? Look to see LJ wearing a Broncos, Chargers or Patriots jersey very soon. The Broncos and Chargers would be wise to take him now just to keep the Chiefs from taking any division wins as the play-offs come around. The Steelers exposed the Broncos inexperience last night. They would be wise to sign LJ and drop the Chiefs moral to less than it already is. The Chargers are gaining fast, they will need all the numbers they can get to finish on top of the division. The Chiefs are a lost cause, but it seems that is what they want.

Dale · 4 weeks ago

Larry Johnson has complained about every coach the Chiefs have had since he came to KC. The first year he was here he said he knew more about football than the coaches did and he did not have to listen to them.
He has complained about the line not blocking for him and not opening big holes for him to run through. If a big hole is there every time anyone can run through it.
This was just the last of many things he has done to insult the organization. It was time to put a stop to it.

notperfect · 3 weeks ago

larry johnson has the freedom to say what he wants as long as he does not say it in uniform..
I see cops smoking in uniform that it way worse than johnson calling a looser a fag and all those people that signed that paper are pole lovers johnson is the average great football star, when I was 19 or 20 i did shots with derrick thomas may bee we need to realize these are not Preechers and they are not theologins they are over paid kids that we watch so we can and spend time doing something that nobody gets any good out of the men that want him kicked off the team want to turn football in to a tv soap its not These football players are not heros they do not aspire to play a year for free to feed the poor they do not help our country over all they dont care about any one they dont even take pay cuts so 70 year old football players can get medical coverage. They are self centered self loving kids that if they werent on that team we would want them to stay away from us .. So dont worry about the off the field shit just watch the game if you want and remember we all can do better and we all have should do better but we all have fall short so dont get involved with the personal stuff unless you are peefect.. I am Not

Brian · 3 weeks ago

Dismissal was MOST appropriate! He should respect his fans...Gay, Straight, Bisexual, Black, White, Spanish, Jewish, Mexican, Muslim, Blue, Grey, Green....

They are supporting his income, and he should respect that...