Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson used three anti-gay slurs within 24 hours after he was confronted about using his Twitter account to belittle his head coach Todd Haley.
On Tuesday, the same day that Johnson issued a public apology for actions, the Chiefs organization told Johnson to stay away from the team pending a probe into his use of a gay slur.
“I regret my actions,” Johnson said. “The words were used by me in frustration, and they were not appropriate,” Johnson 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.”
The apology stems from a post-game interview after the Chiefs’ loss to the San Diego Chargers on Monday, Oct. 26. When reporters entered the Chiefs’ locker room, Johnson said he was not answering any questions until Thursday. According to Kansas City Star reporter Kent Babb, Johnson then said “Get your faggot-asses out of here.”
Later in the evening, Johnson reportedly got into a fight with a fan on Twitter and called that fan a “fag,” according to Yahoo Sports, which monitored the conversation.
“Think bout a clever diss then that wit ur fag pic. Christopher street boy, [sic]” Johnson wrote on the site. The comment was made after the fan mentioned Johnson pleading guilty to spitting in the face of a female bar patron recently.
After the incident, Johnson’s Twitter account became private.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the NFL is investigating what Johnson said but would not comment on any further disciplinary action.
“We are in the process of getting the facts,” he said.
Johnson’s agent, Peter Schaffer, said it would be inaccurate to describe the Chiefs’ move regarding Johnson as a suspension. He said the Chiefs told Johnson to go home Tuesday while they were looking into the situation.
“It’s the bye week, so there is no urgency,” Schaffer said. “I have not been told of a suspension.”
