Flanagan: LJ rips Vermeil in HBO interview - Page 3

tk13 · 11-29-2006, 02:43 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/16118327.htm

JEFFREY FLANAGAN TOP OF THE MORNIN’
Kansas City Star

Johnson tuned out when Vermeil talked

Larry Johnson, appearing in a feature with Cris Carter on HBO’s “Inside the NFL” this week, makes it clear again that he really wasn’t all that interested in playing for Dick Vermeil.

“I wouldn’t pay attention,” Johnson said of playing under Vermeil. “My eyes, I would be up in the sky. You know, I would be sleeping in my locker. I wouldn’t carry my playbook because I was just trying to get away from this building, you know, when Dick was here.”

(It should be interesting when Vermeil calls the Chiefs-Oakland game for NFL Network Dec. 23.)

Carter’s interview with Johnson, which appears at 9 tonight, also focuses on LJ’s relationship with Herm Edwards.

Carter asked LJ, “Do you think Herm Edwards, being an African-American and you being raised, of course, by an African-American, that you see a lot of similarities in Herm that you saw in your dad that made you open up to him?”

LJ’s response: “I think so. I could relate to Herman. I couldn’t do that with the other coaches I had because they had not done it. You know, they haven’t put those pads or they haven’t been in the situation as a young black athlete and know what we had to go through.

“You know, when we go out, you know, we like to go out. You know, we like to hang out. We like to have fun. But then you got to worry about the guy around the corner with the gun. You got to worry about this girl on the block. You got to worry about, you know, your parents. You got to worry about your homeboys taking advantage of you.

“There’s so much things you got to worry about being a young black athlete. And to be able to have a father like mine and have a coach like Herm, I was able to escape a lot of those realities and find myself in a new ray of light.”

Edwards also contributes to the show.

“First time I saw (Johnson), I said: ‘Are you ready? Are you ready to touch the ball 30 times a game?’ ” Edwards said. “And he kind of looked up at me, and he probably thought, ‘I haven’t even met coach yet, and he’s — what, is he messin’ with me?’ ”

Demonpenz · 11-29-2006, 08:14 AM

alright since he does half his job we need to bring in a fully black coach to teach him how to block and catch.

**Mr. Kotter** · 11-29-2006, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

alright since he does half his job we need to bring in a fully black coach to teach him how to block and catch.

No, no....he gots his black coach to teeeched him to run da ball; he needs his cracka coach....to teeech him to do da blocking and catchin', bullshit. You know, dat be da "whitey" type shit to do, word?...you knows, homey?

FAX · 11-29-2006, 08:18 AM

If you take the "race" out of it, one has to admit that LJ was treated more like a 5th rounder his first few years.

Given the amount of talent and desire he had, keeping a kid like that on the bench is like putting a chastity belt on Mr. Redrum_69's mom.

As far as the "downtrodden black man" part, I couldn't agree more with Mr. Iowanian. Black men in America often tend to overestimate the trouble they've seen ... as do we all. Ask any of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

FAX

**Mr. Kotter** · 11-29-2006, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAX

If you take the "race" out of it, one has to admit that LJ was treated more like a 5th rounder his first few years.

Given the amount of talent and desire he had, keeping a kid like that on the bench is like putting a chastity belt on Mr. Redrum_69's mom.

As far as the "downtrodden black man" part, I couldn't agree more with Mr. Iowanian. Black men in America often tend to overestimate the trouble they've seen ... as do we all. Ask any of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

FAX

I agree about the way LJ was treated, by DV; but LJ's the one who allowed it to become about race....hell, maybe Dick was right afterall, about the diapers. He should grow up, the whiney ass.

Demonpenz · 11-29-2006, 08:20 AM

At the end of the interview he threw up the diamond dallas page symbol and yelled "THE NEW Jay-z joint drops friday" OHHHHHH THE PROFESSSSSER!

**Iowanian** · 11-29-2006, 08:23 AM

I'm going to take the rebound from Fax's "lost boys of Sudan" and use a card I played in the dc a while back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowanian

Somewhere, outside Darfur, a 4 year old non-muslim with a bloated abdomen, lays on a blanket under a bush, too exhausted to blow a fly from his eyeball....sympathizes with The plight of the suburban American Athlete.

Don't let this turn into a racial hubub.

I only wish LJ had found the class to have taken a higher road in that intreview.

milkman · 11-29-2006, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

I agree about the way LJ was treated, by DV; but LJ's the one who allowed it to become about race....hell, maybe Dick was right afterall, about the diapers. He should grow up, the whiney ass.

While I think that LJ could have deflected the question, in the end all he did was answer the question that was asked.

Chris Carter is the one that made it about race.
LJ just answered honestly.

Chiefnj · 11-29-2006, 08:32 AM

DV posted a reply over at ESPN:

"I'm sorry if I offended the young man [LJ] during my time as head coach. It's just that Priest was a light skinned black man and I could relate to him better than LJ. Priest played white man games like chess. I showed LJ a rook once and he asked if it was a sex toy.

I remember I once talked about a fine bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon in the locker room. Priest appreciated my comments on the silky texture of the wine with its subtle hints of oak and currants. LJ looked at me and said something about preferring ripple or mad dog, then he closed his eyes and went back to sleep mumbling something about me lacking street cred. Let me tell you something - I've got lots of "cred" on the streets in Napa."

Damn Vermeil for not playing LJ sooner. I mean with all his hard work of not paying attention, not bothering to learn the playbook, sleeping during meetings, etc. That was sure to impress a head coach.

**Mr. Kotter** · 11-29-2006, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

While I think that LJ could have deflected the question, in the end all he did was answer the question that was asked.

Chris Carter is the one that made it about race.
LJ just answered honestly.

If that's his "honest" answer, and he's stupid enough to answer it....so honestly.....then my point stands: LJ still needs to grow-the-fugg-up some, apparently.

JBucc · 11-29-2006, 08:37 AM

If you got to worry 'bout your homeboys taking advantage of you, you need new homeboys. And that's all I have to say, about that.

milkman · 11-29-2006, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

If that's his "honest" answer, and he's stupid enough to answer it....so honestly.....then my point stands: LJ still needs to grow-the-fugg-up some, apparently.

I didn't say he was smart or mature.

I'm saying the wrong person is being accused of making it about race.

Carter made it about race.
LJ just wasn't smart enough to deflect.

Lonewolf Ed · 11-29-2006, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Braincase

If a white guy is born in South Africa, raised there, then becomes a naturalized American citizen, does that make him an African-American?

I prefer to refer to folks based on their heritage. If you are of African-heritage, then you are just that, a person of African heritage. Same thing with Latin America, European, Asian, Arabic, etc.

I am half Danish, and on my mother's side of the family, I am second generation American. I am NOT Danish-American, or European-American; if anything, I am a Kansan-American. You can call me a white guy, too, I suppose.

burt · 11-29-2006, 08:42 AM

[QUOTE=milkman]pussy Dick.[QUOTE]

Isn't that an oxymoronism?

TrickyNicky · 11-29-2006, 08:43 AM

Hey, if LJ feels that way, he has a right to it. We all know these football stars are me-first kind of guys anyway. Don't be surprised when they feel persecuted because the old school coach doesn't like to play rookies. As long as he's winning now, I could care less what happened in the past. It's when he starts tuning out Herm is when I will be worried. I wonder what his explanation will be then? The QB isn't black?

**Mr. Kotter** · 11-29-2006, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

I didn't say he was smart or mature.

I'm saying the wrong person is being accused of making it about race.

Carter made it about race.
LJ just wasn't smart enough to deflect.

Fair enough.

It's just disappointing. I suppose everyone has their baggage....but this shit makes me long for the eccentricities of Priest.

I'd prefer, "I'll do my job. But give me my space" to "I'll do my job. As long as whitey don't keep me down" B.S.

11-29-2006, 02:43 AM
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $-1797500	Flanagan: LJ rips Vermeil in HBO interview http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/16118327.htm JEFFREY FLANAGAN TOP OF THE MORNIN’ Kansas City Star Johnson tuned out when Vermeil talked Larry Johnson, appearing in a feature with Cris Carter on HBO’s “Inside the NFL” this week, makes it clear again that he really wasn’t all that interested in playing for Dick Vermeil. “I wouldn’t pay attention,” Johnson said of playing under Vermeil. “My eyes, I would be up in the sky. You know, I would be sleeping in my locker. I wouldn’t carry my playbook because I was just trying to get away from this building, you know, when Dick was here.” (It should be interesting when Vermeil calls the Chiefs-Oakland game for NFL Network Dec. 23.) Carter’s interview with Johnson, which appears at 9 tonight, also focuses on LJ’s relationship with Herm Edwards. Carter asked LJ, “Do you think Herm Edwards, being an African-American and you being raised, of course, by an African-American, that you see a lot of similarities in Herm that you saw in your dad that made you open up to him?” LJ’s response: “I think so. I could relate to Herman. I couldn’t do that with the other coaches I had because they had not done it. You know, they haven’t put those pads or they haven’t been in the situation as a young black athlete and know what we had to go through. “You know, when we go out, you know, we like to go out. You know, we like to hang out. We like to have fun. But then you got to worry about the guy around the corner with the gun. You got to worry about this girl on the block. You got to worry about, you know, your parents. You got to worry about your homeboys taking advantage of you. “There’s so much things you got to worry about being a young black athlete. And to be able to have a father like mine and have a coach like Herm, I was able to escape a lot of those realities and find myself in a new ray of light.” Edwards also contributes to the show. “First time I saw (Johnson), I said: ‘Are you ready? Are you ready to touch the ball 30 times a game?’ ” Edwards said. “And he kind of looked up at me, and he probably thought, ‘I haven’t even met coach yet, and he’s — what, is he messin’ with me?’ ”
Posts: 56,680

11-29-2006, 08:14 AM	#31
Demonpenz Woman should only make babies Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $-313864	alright since he does half his job we need to bring in a fully black coach to teach him how to block and catch. __________________
Posts: 54,947

11-29-2006, 08:18 AM	#33
FAX testing ... 1, 2, 3 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tennessee Casino cash: $6753759	If you take the "race" out of it, one has to admit that LJ was treated more like a 5th rounder his first few years. Given the amount of talent and desire he had, keeping a kid like that on the bench is like putting a chastity belt on Mr. Redrum_69's mom. As far as the "downtrodden black man" part, I couldn't agree more with Mr. Iowanian. Black men in America often tend to overestimate the trouble they've seen ... as do we all. Ask any of the Lost Boys of Sudan. FAX
Posts: 44,492

11-29-2006, 08:20 AM	#35
Demonpenz Woman should only make babies Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $-313864	At the end of the interview he threw up the diamond dallas page symbol and yelled "THE NEW Jay-z joint drops friday" OHHHHHH THE PROFESSSSSER! __________________
Posts: 54,947

11-29-2006, 08:32 AM	#38
Chiefnj MVP Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Willis, Harris and Davis. Casino cash: $10004900	DV posted a reply over at ESPN: "I'm sorry if I offended the young man [LJ] during my time as head coach. It's just that Priest was a light skinned black man and I could relate to him better than LJ. Priest played white man games like chess. I showed LJ a rook once and he asked if it was a sex toy. I remember I once talked about a fine bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon in the locker room. Priest appreciated my comments on the silky texture of the wine with its subtle hints of oak and currants. LJ looked at me and said something about preferring ripple or mad dog, then he closed his eyes and went back to sleep mumbling something about me lacking street cred. Let me tell you something - I've got lots of "cred" on the streets in Napa." Damn Vermeil for not playing LJ sooner. I mean with all his hard work of not paying attention, not bothering to learn the playbook, sleeping during meetings, etc. That was sure to impress a head coach. __________________ "I always tell (the assistant coaches), 'Make it simple, 'cause I'm stupid,'" Edwards said. "This ain't computer football." Herm Edwards, 3-20-07 Q: Herm, back on December 25th you were asked if Trent Green was your starter going into next season and you said, ‘yeah, why wouldn’t he be?’ Have you changed your mind on that? EDWARDS: No, I have not.” (1-11-07)
Posts: 6,811

11-29-2006, 08:37 AM	#40
JBucc MVP Join Date: Oct 2005 Casino cash: $10004952	If you got to worry 'bout your homeboys taking advantage of you, you need new homeboys. And that's all I have to say, about that.
Posts: 12,016

11-29-2006, 08:43 AM	#44
TrickyNicky My Black Friend, Alan Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Manhattan Casino cash: $10007047	Hey, if LJ feels that way, he has a right to it. We all know these football stars are me-first kind of guys anyway. Don't be surprised when they feel persecuted because the old school coach doesn't like to play rookies. As long as he's winning now, I could care less what happened in the past. It's when he starts tuning out Herm is when I will be worried. I wonder what his explanation will be then? The QB isn't black?
Posts: 3,648