According to the Kansas City Star, Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson reportedly used a gay slur for the second time in as many days Monday.
Yesterday, after the Chiefs’ 37-7 home loss to the Chargers, Johnson was sitting in front of his locker when he turned away and muttered the slur in telling reporters to get “out of here,” according to the Star, which recorded the comment.
On Sunday, Johnson belittled rookie head coach Todd Haley on Twitter in a series of posts that also included the same gay slur.
Haley said the Chiefs were looking into “a couple of situations” involving Johnson, but declined further comment. Asked about the slurs, he said the team was “gathering facts.”
“I will say that how our players conduct themselves with the media and through the media is very important to myself as a head coach, and to the Chiefs as an organization,” Haley said, according to the Associated Press.
The tweets were posted to the “Toonicon” account. The Star reported Johnson has said the online alias is his. The account includes a link to Johnson’s personal Web site. Chiefs spokesman Bob Moore said it could not verify that is Johnson’s account.
Johnson’s account has since been made private.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Johnson was benched for three games by Edwards last year for unspecified violation of team rules. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for the fourth game for violating the league’s player conduct policy in connection with incidents involving two women in bars.
Johnson then was sentenced to two years’ probation after pleading guilty to two counts of disturbing the peace. One woman accused him of throwing a drink on her and another said he had pushed her head at a Kansas City night spot.
A judge earlier this year suspended the sentence and said he would remove the guilty plea from the public record if Johnson finished the probation period without further incidents.
Johnson was one of the best running backs in the NFL in 2005 and ’06, rushing for more than 1,700 yards in each season. In 2006, he set an NFL record with 410 carries, but his production fell to 559 yards the following season after sitting out training camp in a contract dispute.
Running behind a poor offensive line, he has not done well this season, averaging only 2.7 yards per carry on 132 yards.