Larry Johnson has issued the clearest statement yet that he doesn’t regret using the word faggot, and that his apologies were truly hollow: He is appealing his one-game suspension. Agent Peter Schaffer told Pro Football Talk:
We will be filing an appeal tomorrow. It is our belief that the action did not warrant the discipline unilaterally imposed by the Chiefs. We’ll be asking for an expeditied hearing, and hopefully we can work out a positive, mutual resolution with the Chiefs. If not, we’ll defer to the arbitrator’s decision. Larry’s desire is to get back to his teammates as soon as he can.
Let’s see. Johnson calls people in the press “faggots.” He then lashes out using more anti-gay language on Twitter. What guys like Johnson and Schaffer fail to see is that gay people make up a significant portion of the Chiefs’ and the NFL’s fanbase…and the fool just pissed them all off. If the Chiefs feel a one-game suspension for alienating some of their fans is a legitimate response, how can Johnson and his agent possibly argue? Because they’re not at all sorry.
One person who is sorry is Johnson’s Dad. He likens his son’s language to the racism he has faced in his life. From 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.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Kudos to Larry Johnson, Sr. More young fans should know what he said about similarities between racism and homophobia.
There may be a lot of differences between the two, but the prejudices are almost identical for the openly gay. That shared burden only comes out when we “come out”.
As long as players think it better to stay in the closet or fear showing respect for gays because they don’t want to be “accused by association” we can not see those commonalities.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
I believe Larry Johnson Sr. is still a defensive line coach at Penn State. Glad to hear him take a clear public stand against what Jr. said.
Give that man a raise, Joe Pa!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
What strong words from the dad. I applaud him!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Unfortunately, in Jr’s case the apple fell far from the tree.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
his father sounds so ashamed of his son, as he should be. poor guy, how can such a noble man produce such a scumbag son?
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I do find it puzzling that he says “That’s not how he was raised.” I guess Junior changed his values when he joined the NFL.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Wayne, parents can give their kids the best of upbringings, and try to instill the best of values, but that does not mean the kids will adhere to those teachings. To suggest otherwise shows a profound ignorance of children and basic psychology.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Wayne some kids do run amok. I know people whose parents gave them the world and they ended up dealing drugs or doing other things not cool. Meanwhile Mike Vrabel basically calls out his teammate on trying to appeal his punishment.
http://videos.kansascity.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=6981197
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Time for a father and son heart to heart. As many atheletes of Johnson Jr.’s generation was immersed in Rap culture and one cannot be surprised at the anti-gay ignorant comments. These guys seem to confuse the concept of masculinity with machismo.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Nature or Nurture? Larry Johnson, the weasel, may be a bad seed.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I don’t get why people are pissed that Johnson is filing an appeal. If you are paid to be my damn agent then I’d expect you to file a damn appeal. At the end of the day, business is going to trump anyone’s feelings about homophobia and who says what.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
His appeal says essentially he should not be fined for repeating the same sort of homophobic slur he hears routinely in the NFL. It says he does not think his words are harmful. A good agent would understand that damage control would have his client shutting his mouth at this point, accepting the corrective measures, and salvaging his value for any team that would take him.
on Oct 31st, 2009 at 8:58 am
Athough I beilieve name calling just shows a persons immaturity, this is still America. What he said is not the same as a racist slur!Being called a nigger,monkey etc. were directed to these men and women just for being a different color, not for any activity they were specifically doing.If two of the men in the press were holding hands and he pointed them out and called them “faggots” that’s different and he should be reprimanded.However using the word faggot to people that are not gay is the same as calling a white man or woman a nigger. It makes that individual look stupid. We have stupid people all over, sometimes I think we draw more attention to them by feeding in to them than just by simply letting it go.
on Oct 31st, 2009 at 10:15 am
If Larry Johnson is not sorry for what he said, KUDOS to him for sticking with his beliefs, no matter how f’d up they are. Sick of these public people apologizing for something they are not sorry for, just that they were caught….
BTW, Larry Johnson has been so insignificant to me ever since he cost me a week in my fantasy football league several years ago… He needs to just put out to pasture…
on Oct 31st, 2009 at 10:50 am
on Oct 31st, 2009 at 11:02 am
If anyone believes that this guy belongs in the NFL when he acts like this…instead of doing his job to the best of his ability, you need to re-think who pays his salary. He should go back home and listen more when his father speaks. Professionals are held at a higher standard because they are getting a huge overblown paycheck for what they should love to do!
on Oct 31st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Its crazy cause Larry is either bisexual or gay……….he get that phat booty smash too
on Nov 2nd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
I am gay and not necessarily offended as I am annoyed. If a white NFL player would have used the N word in the same context as he did…we would have riots. Double standard BS.