Chiefs LJ's father hurt by his remarks

Sure-Oz · 10-27-2009, 10:51 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1534253.html

Posted on Tue, Oct. 27, 2009
Larry Johnson’s father among those hurt by his remarks
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star

His voice comes through soft but pointed. He remembers his childhood in the Jim Crow South and understands the daggers of inequality and the tarnish of discrimination.

“I went through that,” he said. “My generation.”

Larry Johnson Sr. said that he vowed so many years ago that he would teach his children to treat everyone with compassion. He said he raised them to consider everyone equal, regardless of race, gender, beliefs or sexual orientation. He said it hurts that his son, Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, used gay slurs in public two times in 24 hours.

“That’s just not who we are and not what we believe,” said the elder Johnson, 56. “It’s not how he was raised.

“It’s tough for me as a father.”

He said young Larry learned that hateful or inappropriate words are “just not tolerated.”

On Tuesday, Johnson learned that lesson again. After he issued an apology, the Chiefs instructed him to stay away from their headquarters and barred him from all team activities. Johnson remains on the roster, and he will continue to be paid. He was similarly benched for three weeks last season before being suspended by the NFL because of his alleged involvement in separate skirmishes with two women at Kansas City nightspots.

The Chiefs did not say how long Johnson would be out or whether he might face further punishment from the team or the league. An NFL spokesman said this week that the league is investigating the matter. But Johnson wasn’t at the team’s complex Tuesday, and his locker was undisturbed.

It was at that locker where Johnson muttered a gay slur to reporters on Monday morning, hours after he posted disparaging remarks on his Twitter profile about Chiefs coach Todd Haley’s lack of football playing experience.

“Get your bundle of sticks ass out of here,” Johnson said after saying he wouldn’t speak publicly until Thursday, his normal day of meeting with the media.

On Tuesday, Johnson apologized in a statement released by his agent, Peter Schaffer. Neither incident was addressed specifically, and the apology was directed toward Haley, the Chiefs’ fans, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Johnson’s teammates.

“I regret my actions,” the statement read. “The words were used by me in frustration, and they were not appropriate. I did not intend to offend anyone, but that is no excuse for what I said.”

Rashad Robinson, senior programs director for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said Johnson’s apology was a good start. Robinson said it was a sign that Johnson takes seriously the inflammatory nature of the slurs, and Robinson said he hopes Johnson learned the hard way that words can be damaging.

“For him to use the word and feel that it’s OK,” Robinson said, “it’s disappointing and really reminds us of the ongoing challenges we have in our community.

“We hope the statement is the first step. He has a real opportunity here. There are kids no doubt being bullied in Kansas City and across the country. This is one of the many words that get hurled at them to … feel ashamed of who they are. He (Johnson) is in an opportunity to be a role model for young people.”

Johnson’s father was his role model, and the old coach said his son’s words didn’t match what he was taught. Johnson Sr., the defensive line coach at Penn State University, was raised in Williamston, N.C., and he remembers the segregated water fountains and the split schools.

He said that his son is not homophobic and that he was raised with an emphasis on equality.

“Both sides of the world,” Johnson Sr. called it, and he said his son grew up knowing the difference between right and wrong.

The problem for Johnson is that he hasn’t always put his upbringing to good use. His Chiefs’ career has been stained by messy incidents, arrests and an attitude the team hoped had improved as he approaches his 30th birthday.

About a year ago, around the time Johnson was benched and suspended, Johnson tried to cleanse some parts of his life and the way he was perceived. He hired a new agent, Schaffer, who wouldn’t coddle him, and that was part of the plan to reinvent Johnson as a self-aware, if not reformed, NFL player.

“If someone is doing something I don’t perceive as being socially acceptable,” Schaffer said, “I express myself. But at the end of the day, the client makes the decision.

“I really believe that Larry Johnson has matured a great deal in the last 18 months.”

But then Sunday happened, and Johnson turned to Twitter. This message was posted to Johnson’s profile about three hours after the Chiefs lost 37-7 to the San Diego Chargers: “My father played for the coach from ‘rememeber the titans’. Our coach played golf. My father played for redskins briefley. Our coach. Nuthn.”

Johnson Sr. said he spoke with his son about the tweets and that, while he was flattered that his son was trying to compliment his father’s coaching abilities, he could have found a more diplomatic way of doing it.

“Could he have done it a little differently?” the elder Johnson said. “Sure.”

Larry Johnson later posted two derogatory references to gays, including writing to one of his Twitter followers that his profile included a “bundle of sticks pic.”

Through a spokesman, Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt referred The Kansas City Star to the team’s statement on Johnson’s benching, which said the Chiefs are “continuing to investigate the alleged comments made by Larry Johnson. Until that review is complete, the Chiefs have instructed Larry to refrain from practicing with the Chiefs or participating in other team activities.”

Haley said he hoped that the Chiefs’ latest obstacle would somehow make the team tougher, similar to a practice last week in a cold, steady rain.

“I want, first and foremost, a mentally tough team,” Haley said, “and this will be part of that hardening.

“I truly believe that this will all be part of making us a team that is competitive and has a chance to win Super Bowls.”

Johnson Sr. said his son wants to be a part of the Chiefs as the team moves toward the future. He said his son still enjoys football and wants to finish his career in Kansas City. He said he fears that, despite the progress he said his son made in the past 12 months, that Johnson will now be known as an angry bigot who’s not in control of his words or actions. Johnson Sr. said his son’s latest outburst began with frustration and ended with a mistake — a mistake the elder Johnson said he hopes does not define his son.

“Now you’re labeled,” Johnson Sr. said. “It’s unfortunate.”

He said his son is different.

“He does not hate gays. That’s not Larry, and that’s not our family,” he said. “He’s my son. You can’t disown him. We just talk to him, listen to him, and help him move forward.”

@ Go to KansasCity.com and the Red Zone for the latest news on Larry Johnson and the Chiefs.

**DaneMcCloud** · 10-27-2009, 10:55 PM

Wow.

Larry, jr. is a bigger asshole than I could have possibly imagined.

'Hamas' Jenkins · 10-27-2009, 11:00 PM

This entire story is just sad and pathetic.

Larry Johnson is a deeply troubled person, and despite all the money and fame, it's obvious that the guy is completely unhappy. I actually feel sorry for him. He just doesn't get it. And he probably never will. He seems resigned to a life of misery.

Hammock Parties · 10-27-2009, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

This entire story is just sad and pathetic.

Larry Johnson is a deeply troubled person, and despite all the money and fame, it's obvious that the guy is completely unhappy. I actually feel sorry for him. He just doesn't get it. And he probably never will. He seems resigned to a life of misery.

He probably just needs to get away from white people.

Reerun_KC · 10-28-2009, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

He probably just needs to get away from white people.

If that is the case, you wont be hearing "Stay Down Bitch, I am not finished" anymore....

**007** · 10-27-2009, 11:00 PM

I feel for his father.

KCrockaholic · 10-27-2009, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guru

I feel for his father.

His father is a jackass too ya know. I don't feel for any of them. They bring whatever happens upon themselves. They've put themselves in their own misery.

**DaneMcCloud** · 10-27-2009, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcrockaholic4life

His father is a jackass too ya know. I don't feel for any of them. They bring whatever happens upon themselves. They've put themselves in their own misery.

What?

Why is his father a "jackass".

If you're going to spew bullshit like this, back it the **** up, Dumbass.

Sure-Oz · 10-27-2009, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcrockaholic4life

His father is a jackass too ya know. I don't feel for any of them. They bring whatever happens upon themselves. They've put themselves in their own misery.

How is his father a jackass

**DaneMcCloud** · 10-27-2009, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

How is his father a jackass

This freakin' ****ard should be neg repped back to the Stone Age.

He's a freakin' moron.

stormtrooper · 10-27-2009, 11:17 PM

pillowbiters do suck but so does larry

DBOSHO · 10-27-2009, 11:17 PM

Yeah, dumbass!

Back it the **** up.

KCrockaholic · 10-27-2009, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DBOSHO

Yeah, dumbass!

Back it the **** up.

lol, sorry, but Thigpen? Still?

**Reaper16** · 10-27-2009, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcrockaholic4life

His father is a jackass too ya know. I don't feel for any of them. They bring whatever happens upon themselves. They've put themselves in their own misery.

Get the **** out.

PhillyChiefFan · 10-28-2009, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcrockaholic4life

His father is a jackass too ya know. I don't feel for any of them. They bring whatever happens upon themselves. They've put themselves in their own misery.

I have met the guy on a few occasions before and after LJ was drafted.

He is not a jackass at all. He is very nice, quite and humble.

I spoke to him for about 20 mins when he was making an appearance at a fundraiser before the PA All Star game, and he extremely nice to me and my dad and thanked US for coming to the fundraiser and being fans.

Nothing like his son, so don't make that comparison if you don't know what you are talking about. I think the man is genuinely upset by the mistakes his son has made.

10-27-2009, 10:51 PM	Topic Starter
Sure-Oz Stay positive, don't give up Join Date: Dec 2001 Casino cash: $1609383	LJ's father hurt by his remarks http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1534253.html Posted on Tue, Oct. 27, 2009 Larry Johnson’s father among those hurt by his remarks By KENT BABB The Kansas City Star His voice comes through soft but pointed. He remembers his childhood in the Jim Crow South and understands the daggers of inequality and the tarnish of discrimination. “I went through that,” he said. “My generation.” Larry Johnson Sr. said that he vowed so many years ago that he would teach his children to treat everyone with compassion. He said he raised them to consider everyone equal, regardless of race, gender, beliefs or sexual orientation. He said it hurts that his son, Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, used gay slurs in public two times in 24 hours. “That’s just not who we are and not what we believe,” said the elder Johnson, 56. “It’s not how he was raised. “It’s tough for me as a father.” He said young Larry learned that hateful or inappropriate words are “just not tolerated.” On Tuesday, Johnson learned that lesson again. After he issued an apology, the Chiefs instructed him to stay away from their headquarters and barred him from all team activities. Johnson remains on the roster, and he will continue to be paid. He was similarly benched for three weeks last season before being suspended by the NFL because of his alleged involvement in separate skirmishes with two women at Kansas City nightspots. The Chiefs did not say how long Johnson would be out or whether he might face further punishment from the team or the league. An NFL spokesman said this week that the league is investigating the matter. But Johnson wasn’t at the team’s complex Tuesday, and his locker was undisturbed. It was at that locker where Johnson muttered a gay slur to reporters on Monday morning, hours after he posted disparaging remarks on his Twitter profile about Chiefs coach Todd Haley’s lack of football playing experience. “Get your bundle of sticks ass out of here,” Johnson said after saying he wouldn’t speak publicly until Thursday, his normal day of meeting with the media. On Tuesday, Johnson apologized in a statement released by his agent, Peter Schaffer. Neither incident was addressed specifically, and the apology was directed toward Haley, the Chiefs’ fans, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Johnson’s teammates. “I regret my actions,” the statement read. “The words were used by me in frustration, and they were not appropriate. I did not intend to offend anyone, but that is no excuse for what I said.” Rashad Robinson, senior programs director for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said Johnson’s apology was a good start. Robinson said it was a sign that Johnson takes seriously the inflammatory nature of the slurs, and Robinson said he hopes Johnson learned the hard way that words can be damaging. “For him to use the word and feel that it’s OK,” Robinson said, “it’s disappointing and really reminds us of the ongoing challenges we have in our community. “We hope the statement is the first step. He has a real opportunity here. There are kids no doubt being bullied in Kansas City and across the country. This is one of the many words that get hurled at them to … feel ashamed of who they are. He (Johnson) is in an opportunity to be a role model for young people.” Johnson’s father was his role model, and the old coach said his son’s words didn’t match what he was taught. Johnson Sr., the defensive line coach at Penn State University, was raised in Williamston, N.C., and he remembers the segregated water fountains and the split schools. He said that his son is not homophobic and that he was raised with an emphasis on equality. “Both sides of the world,” Johnson Sr. called it, and he said his son grew up knowing the difference between right and wrong. The problem for Johnson is that he hasn’t always put his upbringing to good use. His Chiefs’ career has been stained by messy incidents, arrests and an attitude the team hoped had improved as he approaches his 30th birthday. About a year ago, around the time Johnson was benched and suspended, Johnson tried to cleanse some parts of his life and the way he was perceived. He hired a new agent, Schaffer, who wouldn’t coddle him, and that was part of the plan to reinvent Johnson as a self-aware, if not reformed, NFL player. “If someone is doing something I don’t perceive as being socially acceptable,” Schaffer said, “I express myself. But at the end of the day, the client makes the decision. “I really believe that Larry Johnson has matured a great deal in the last 18 months.” But then Sunday happened, and Johnson turned to Twitter. This message was posted to Johnson’s profile about three hours after the Chiefs lost 37-7 to the San Diego Chargers: “My father played for the coach from ‘rememeber the titans’. Our coach played golf. My father played for redskins briefley. Our coach. Nuthn.” Johnson Sr. said he spoke with his son about the tweets and that, while he was flattered that his son was trying to compliment his father’s coaching abilities, he could have found a more diplomatic way of doing it. “Could he have done it a little differently?” the elder Johnson said. “Sure.” Larry Johnson later posted two derogatory references to gays, including writing to one of his Twitter followers that his profile included a “bundle of sticks pic.” Through a spokesman, Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt referred The Kansas City Star to the team’s statement on Johnson’s benching, which said the Chiefs are “continuing to investigate the alleged comments made by Larry Johnson. Until that review is complete, the Chiefs have instructed Larry to refrain from practicing with the Chiefs or participating in other team activities.” Haley said he hoped that the Chiefs’ latest obstacle would somehow make the team tougher, similar to a practice last week in a cold, steady rain. “I want, first and foremost, a mentally tough team,” Haley said, “and this will be part of that hardening. “I truly believe that this will all be part of making us a team that is competitive and has a chance to win Super Bowls.” Johnson Sr. said his son wants to be a part of the Chiefs as the team moves toward the future. He said his son still enjoys football and wants to finish his career in Kansas City. He said he fears that, despite the progress he said his son made in the past 12 months, that Johnson will now be known as an angry bigot who’s not in control of his words or actions. Johnson Sr. said his son’s latest outburst began with frustration and ended with a mistake — a mistake the elder Johnson said he hopes does not define his son. “Now you’re labeled,” Johnson Sr. said. “It’s unfortunate.” He said his son is different. “He does not hate gays. That’s not Larry, and that’s not our family,” he said. “He’s my son. You can’t disown him. We just talk to him, listen to him, and help him move forward.” @ Go to KansasCity.com and the Red Zone for the latest news on Larry Johnson and the Chiefs.
Posts: 46,340

10-27-2009, 10:55 PM	#2
DaneMcCloud Supporter Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Hollywood, CA Casino cash: $10053648	Wow. Larry, jr. is a bigger asshole than I could have possibly imagined.
Posts: 88,960

10-27-2009, 11:00 PM	#3
'Hamas' Jenkins Now you've pissed me off! Join Date: Jan 2006 Casino cash: $7129572	This entire story is just sad and pathetic. Larry Johnson is a deeply troubled person, and despite all the money and fame, it's obvious that the guy is completely unhappy. I actually feel sorry for him. He just doesn't get it. And he probably never will. He seems resigned to a life of misery. __________________ "When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.' When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty – to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.”--Abraham Lincoln
Posts: 75,083

10-27-2009, 11:00 PM	#6
007 Shaken. Not stirred. Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London Casino cash: $12130126 VARSITY	I feel for his father. __________________ My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done. Such as, drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs.
Posts: 65,738

10-27-2009, 11:17 PM	#11
stormtrooper Starter Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Boise Idaho Casino cash: $10004900	pillowbiters do suck but so does larry
Posts: 226

10-27-2009, 11:17 PM	#12
DBOSHO trap champ Join Date: Mar 2009 Casino cash: $10004900	Yeah, dumbass! Back it the **** up. __________________ Orginator of the group repost
Posts: 5,445