LJ's father hurt by his remarks

[Sure-Oz]

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.

[mikey23545]

Originally Posted by Otter

If I was gay and my boyfriend gave two shits about what somebody they never met, will never meet and has no part in his life started caring about being called a "pillowbiter" by the above person in question I'd donkey punch him with a brick in the back of the head during anal.

I mean how big of a **** do you have to be to get upset over this if you were gay?

Maybe people need to learn to brush things off and quit being a whining, sniveling little bitch about such little things in life. I hope whoever you're speaking of in the above paragraph is OK and Larry using the term "pillowbiter" didn't ruin his life...let us know if he makes it to work tomorrow or if he has to be hospitalized for year of therapy will ya Jaz?

I don't like Larry either and I'll be glad when he's gone but turning this into a gay rights parade is ridiculous to feel sorry because someone used the word "pillowbiter".

Cry me a ****ing river. Did these people grow up in gay candy land that it still effects them to read in the paper an athlete who they never met used the term "pillowbiter"?

Give me a break.

I absolutely agree with every point in this post.

Rep headed your way.

[mikey23545]

Originally Posted by jAZ

I'll just post this in response to several posts.

I think we can all agree that LJ's comments were no joke. So let's put that assumption aside entirely. And I'll concent that in other situtations, it's entirely possible to say someone is a "f@ggot" and have it be a joke. That's not what happened here.

Beyond that, most every common use of the term "f@ggot" is intended as a pejorative. And "f@ggot" is an extreme pejorative that is has the effect it does specifically because it elicits an overwhelmingly negative reaction based on the visceral disgust straight men often have at the thought of two men french kissing each other or having anal sex.

Anyone who's ever had someone close to them, that they really care about, that is gay... will recognize how harsh and just unacceptable that term is. And when used as a pejorative, it's *exactly* like "n!gger" but for an entirely different community.

And if you hate the mere thought homosexuality, that's real hate.

You're an overly sensitive, whiny pussy.

[Raiderhater58]

I blame Hip Hop

[Chiefs=Champions]

Wow some people are really butt hurt over this topic...























Chiefs=Good (I=Suck): I regret my actions. The words 'butt' and 'hurt' were used by me in flustration, and they were not appropriate. I did not intend to offend anyone, but that is no excuse for what I said. I merely tried 'to hurt them verbally'. I was also just trying to say that some people obviously have 'hurt' theyre 'butts' by spending a lot of time typing big responses to this thread...

[eazyb81]

Originally Posted by jAZ

I think he most definately does. That's pretty hard to dispute given his remarks.

I thought the best quote was when LJ said in his apology that he didn't mean to offend anyone.

Really? I'm pretty sure you did, considering that's the entire reason you use derogatory names.

[PhillyChiefFan]

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.

[Inspector]

Fathers, if they are bonded with their sons, are very effected by what their kid does and says - especially in such a public way.

Anyway, I thought that "F" word was slang for a cigarette. It was when I was a kid.

Times have changed.

[King_Chief_Fan]

Originally Posted by jAZ

I'll just post this in response to several posts.

I think we can all agree that LJ's comments were no joke. So let's put that assumption aside entirely. And I'll concent that in other situtations, it's entirely possible to say someone is a "f@ggot" and have it be a joke. That's not what happened here.

Beyond that, most every common use of the term "f@ggot" is intended as a pejorative. And "f@ggot" is an extreme pejorative that is has the effect it does specifically because it elicits an overwhelmingly negative reaction based on the visceral disgust straight men often have at the thought of two men french kissing each other or having anal sex.

Anyone who's ever had someone close to them, that they really care about, that is gay... will recognize how harsh and just unacceptable that term is. And when used as a pejorative, it's *exactly* like "n!gger" but for an entirely different community.

And if you hate the mere thought homosexuality, that's real hate.

homosexuality is something I don't care for...hate? Despise? I don't know, but I am not o.k. with it at all.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by KcChiefsKing

Doubt it. The only reason it's a big deal now is because it's out in the public and on one occasion it was directed toward the media. If you walk into an NFL locker room, you will probably hear it 100 times. That doesn't mean they hate gays. LJ's an asshole, but to say he's a homophobe is going too far.

I call BS. He could have said, get out of here assholes, get out of here leeches or any other of 100's of names. But, he chose pillowbiters. I realize a locker room has traditionally been a bastion of machoistic behaviour and "gay" in any form is a sign of weakness. Everyone has a right to their opinion. You want to hate pillowbiters? That by itself is not illegal. But as a public figure and in a privlidged field you are held accountable to a higher standard.

[LaChapelle]

He could have said c*cks*cker and it wouldn't have amounted to much. F****T is just a word just best removed from your vocabulary. It's not that difficult to do.

If this forum is any indication reerun is the next off limits word.

~you bunch of cheese and rice fried gnats

[Iowanian]

Larry Sr SHOULD be embarrassed.


He should be embarrassed by his son's attempt to undo the hard work he put in to get to the suburbs by acting like he's ghetto. He should be embarrassed by his son's RAP about his former GM, pistol whipping girlfriends, spitting drinks on women in clubs, putting in half ass effort, and being too stupid to keep his baby fit out of public view.

The Adjective he chose to use wasn't right, but its pretty sad that with all of the bullshit he's pulled, 2 adjectives are the cause of the uproar.


Larry Jr treats weaker people like the Hawkeyes do Penn State.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

Larry Sr SHOULD be embarrassed.


He should be embarrassed by his son's attempt to undo the hard work he put in to get to the suburbs by acting like he's ghetto. He should be embarrassed by his son's RAP about his former GM, pistol whipping girlfriends, spitting drinks on women in clubs, putting in half ass effort, and being too stupid to keep his baby fit out of public view.

The Adjective he chose to use wasn't right, but its pretty sad that with all of the bullshit he's pulled, 2 adjectives are the cause of the uproar.

I think it was the proveribal straw, not the gay slur. People are just fed up with his crap, ready to move on.

[Iowanian]

Chiefs fans are tired of his normal bullshit.

Personally, I think alot of the outrage over the terminology is faux. Its vogue to be offended.

I'm not offended by the words, I just think he's a disrespectful asshole, and that's enough. He's been disrespectful to women, the fans, the former GM, the new head coach, the fans again, and then the media.

F Larry Johnson. I think his daddy should have whipped his spoiled ass once in a while, and then maybe he wouldn't be such a spoiled pussy as an adult.

[Reerun_KC]

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....

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

Chiefs fans are tired of his normal bullshit.

Personally, I think alot of the outrage over the terminology is faux. Its vogue to be offended.

I'm not offended by the words, I just think he's a disrespectful asshole, and that's enough. He's been disrespectful to women, the fans, the former GM, the new head coach, the fans again, and then the media.

F Larry Johnson. I think his daddy should have whipped his spoiled ass once in a while, and then maybe he wouldn't be such a spoiled pussy as an adult.

This is how I feel, more or less. I'm not really any more outraged that he called the pillowbiters than if he'd called them bitches, mother ****ers, or jackasses. It's just a symptom of the problem of LJ, and the Chiefs should rid themselves of the problem.

Also the fact that he can't keep his mouth shut on twitter and feels the need to go back and forth with a fan reveals just how deeply insecure and immature LJ is. Really pathetic.