NFL’s Larry Johnson Issues Apology for “Faggot” Comment

Kansas City Chief’s running back Larry Johnson apologized for calling reporters faggots when they entered the locker room a day after the Chief’s 37-7 home loss to the Chargers, in a statement released Tuesday.

 

"I regret my actions,” he said.  “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.”

 

On Monday after the game, Johnson was sitting in front of his locker and turned away as reporters entered the locker room.  When approached, Johnson told the reporters to get “out of here” and uttered the anti-gay slur, according to the Kansas City Star, which recorded the comment.

 

"I'm not talking [until] Thursday,” he said.  “Get your faggot asses out of here."

That was the second time the two-time Pro Bowl running back had used the slur within the past 48 hours. 

 

Following Sunday night’s loss Johnson ranted on his Twitter account, under the alias ‘Toonicon,’ about new Kansas City coach Todd Haley and his lack of ever even playing football in high school or college.  The tweets started a flurry of responses.

When a follower commented about an incident last October at a Kansas City nightclub where Johnson allegedly spit a drink on a woman, Johnson responded with the anti-gay slur.

 

"think bout a clever diss then tweet that wit ur fag pic,” the New York native tweeted,  “Christopher street boy. Is what us east coast cats call u."

 

Referencing the incident, Johson’s final response read: “Make me regret it. Lmao. U don’t stop my checks. Lmao. So ‘tweet’ away.”

 

Christopher Street was at the center of New York’s gay rights movement in the late 70s and is considered a symbol of gay pride to this day.

 

Jarrett Barrio, the president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), is urging the NFL to punish Johnson for using the anti-gay slur twice.

 

"All too often this is the word that is used to ridicule and harass young gay and transgender athletes on local sports fields across America," Barrio said.

 

"Professional athletes who use this word need to be held accountable for feeding a climate of intolerance toward our community. NFL officials need to take action and condemn this and future uses of this anti-gay epithet."

 

Pending an investigation, Johnson has been banned, not suspended, from team activities according to a statement released by the NFL.

 

"The Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League are continuing to investigate the alleged comments made by Larry Johnson," the statement read. "Until that review is complete, the Chiefs have instructed Larry to refrain from practicing with the Chiefs or participating in other team activities. A decision regarding Larry's status will be made once the investigation has concluded."

 

Johnson was one of the best running backs in the NFL in 2005 and 2006, rushing for more than 1,700 yards in each season.  He set a NFL record with 410 carries in 2006 but only garnered 559 yards the following season after sitting out of training camp in a contract dispute.

 

Johnson is averaging only 2.7 yards per carry so far this season.

 

Johnson is no stranger to off field antics.

 

In March of this year, Johnson pleaded guilty to two counts of disturbing the peace after an incident involving a woman at a nightclub surfaced last October.  He was benched by the Chiefs and later deactivated by the team after a second incident was uncovered.

 

In 2003 Johnson was accused of aggravated assault and misdemeanor domestic battery for waving a gun at his ex-girlfriend, but the charges were dropped because the running back entered a domestic-violence program.

 

In 2005, Johnson was accused of pushing a woman to the ground at another KC nightspot, but the charges were later dropped.

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