The Chiefs have filed a grievance against running back Larry Johnson and feel as though that his one-game suspension in 2008 was a break of contract. The Kansas City Star speculates that the Chiefs will probably release Johnson if they win the grievance.
At issue is $3.75 million of guaranteed money Johnson is due from the Chiefs in the contract extension he signed in August 2007. Generally, NFL salaries are not guaranteed, but Johnson’s contract calls for payments of $3.5 million this year and $250,000 in 2010 that the Chiefs must pay regardless of whether he plays for them.
The Chiefs claim the one-game suspension he received from the NFL last year for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy is a breach of his contract and frees them from having to pay the guaranteed money.
One source familiar with the situation said that should the Chiefs win the grievance, they would probably release Johnson, suggesting the team wouldn’t be going through the trouble if they didn’t intend to free him from his contract.
Johnson has asked to be traded or released since the end of last season. Unhappy with a diminished role with the Chiefs, Johnson said in the locker room in Cincinnati following the season’s last game that he wanted to continue his career playing for another team.
What an absolute headache. A couple years ago, Johnson threw a tantrum because the Chiefs weren’t moving fast enough on a contract extension. Then he requested a trade or his outright release at the end of last season and now the Chiefs have to go through the legal system in order to avoid paying Johnson $3.75 million in guarantees, which was a boneheaded move made by former GM Carl Peterson.
L.J. just isn’t worth the heartburn anymore for the Chiefs. Some team will jump at the chance to take the woman beater running back, but at 29, one has to wonder if his on field production will even be worth it in a year or two.
