Chiefs suspend Larry Johnson for two weeks
The Chiefs have suspended running back Larry Johnson two weeks for conduct detrimental to the team after he took a shot at head coach Todd Haley via his Twitter page last Sunday night. He also used a homophobic slur to degrade another Twitter user that had criticized him for his off-field troubles.
Kansas City is on a bye this week, so Johnson might only miss one game. But during the next two weeks, the Chiefs will evaluate backup Jamaal Charles and then see how Johnson responds to the punishment.
LJ should take a page out of Brandon Marshall’s playbook and respond favorably to his suspension. When the Broncos suspended Marshall earlier this season, he apologized and then when he returned, he was on his best behavior. He hasn’t complained since and now he’s on an undefeated team that is considering re-signing him to a long-term extension.
Granted, Marshall and Johnson’s situations are a little different. LJ isn’t playing for a new contract like Marshall is and even if he does turn into a choirboy, the Chiefs have zero shot of making the playoffs (unlike the Broncos). That said, Johnson owes it to his teammates and his organization not to be a distraction, especially considering that he isn’t even producing on the field. He does his team and himself more harm if he’s a malcontent then if he just owns up to what he did and move on.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens. The smart money is on Johnson being released either during or after the season. The Chiefs will probably make him suffer the rest of the year in Kansas City and then dispose of him in the offseason. Given his age, lack of production and off field issues, there’s just no reason to keep him in a Chiefs uniform.
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I cannot for the life of me understand why the Chiefs don’t just cut the guy and be done with it.
Do you realize that Johnson ranks 4th in the entire league in carries thus far, while ranking second to last in YPC among RB’s with at least 40 carries? He’s gotten 132 carries! 132!!
I understand that coaches look to establish the run and all that, but Johnson should have been benched for his atrocious play weeks ago. Honestly the fact that he’s still been getting numerous carries is the biggest indictment of Haley’s coaching abilities that I can think of.
I’ve wondered if the Chiefs are keeping him in KC as punishment. If they trade him, they would be granting his wish of getting the hell out of town. After all, they have to pay him anyway this year so they might as well make him rot.
The spite angle would make total sense if he were just rotting on the bench, but that hasn’t been the case.
Part of me wonders just how bad Charles is if the coaching staff have stuck with Johnson for 7 games, but the other part thinks that there is no conceivable way that he’d be worse.
Actually the same could be said of the situations with Delhomme and Collins come to think of it.
Charles has been in the doghouse for fumbles, but now it looks like he’s going to be given full opportunity to take the job.
I think Haley had been loyal to LJ (for whatever reason)to a fault and after Johnson burned him, that all went out the window.