Tue. October 27, 2009
Kansas City, MO -
Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has issued an apology after reportedly using a number of gay slurs since the team's loss on Sunday to the San Diego Chargers.
Johnson made demeaning comments about Chiefs coach Todd Haley on his Twitter account and then used a gay slur responding to comments made my one of his followers on the social network site. Yesterday he again used a gay slur when telling reporters he wasn't going to speak.
"First of all, I want to apologize to the fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the NFL, Commissioner Goodell, the Chiefs organization, Coach Todd Haley, his staff, and my teammates for the words I used yesterday," Johnson said in his apology. "I regret my actions. 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.
"I also want to apologize to all the kids who view athletes as role models. I was not a good role model yesterday and hopefully I can become a better role model. We all make mistakes, and the challenge is to learn from them. I will do my best to learn from this one as I move toward becoming a better person, teammate, and member of the Kansas City Chiefs team and community."
The apology apparently coming too late as the Chiefs have banned Johnson from all team activities. The Chiefs said they are investigating the alleged comments made by Johnson.
The Kansas City Star reports Johnson was accused of aggravated assault in 2003 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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