Wednesday – 9:40 pm: The Chiefs have officially suspended Johnson without pay until November 9th, according to the Associated Press. He’ll lose an estimated $213,000 for missing the team’s next game and could very well find himself deactivated for the remainder of the year, depending on what the league decides to do with his case.

Johnson’s agent, Peter Schaffer, responded to the team’s decision fairly quickly, relaying that Johnson will definitely appeal the suspension with the player’s union, and hopes for a quick resolution. Apparently, Johnson feels that his offensive speech did not warrant so severe a punishment and he wants to stay with the team if at all possible.

It’s likely that LJ has realized he could be facing the end of his career if he gets cut by the Chiefs right now, as no team will want to pick him up with the backlash that has ensued from his homophobic slurs. Teams may be more interested once things die down a bit, but his blatant disloyalty to his head coach won’t win him any favors around the league.

Tuesday – 8:25 pm: Citing a source within the organization, Jeff Risdon of RealGM.com is reporting that the Chiefs have decided to release Johnson in the near future and are only waiting on the league’s investigation to be complete before they sever all ties.

Not sure how credible the source is on this one, given the veil of silence put in place by GM Scott Pioli when he took over early this year, but it’s interesting nonetheless. I suspect that KC will likely take a similar approach to how the Eagles and Bucs handled their issues with WRs Terrell Owens and Keyshawn Johnson respectively, in that they’ll suspend LJ for four games without pay and then deactivate him for the remainder of the season.

Either way, the situation certainly is worth monitoring throughout the weekend, as the Chiefs will be on a BYE week and could make a move fairly soon. As always, we’ll keep you posted when anything new breaks.

Tuesday – 4:35 pm: Chiefs RB Larry Johnson has long used anger as a motivational tool on the field, taking out his frustration on would be defenders. His inability to keep that anger in check off the field though may wind up costing him his career in Kansas City.

Johnson slammed his head coach Todd Haley late Sunday evening on his Twitter page, calling into question Haley’s lack of experience as a player in the NFL and his time as a golf pro. Johnson then turned his vitriol on several fans who responded with derision to his assertions, using homophobic slurs and other derogatory remarks.

On Monday afternoon, the tirade continued, this time in the Chiefs locker room, where Johnson allegedly told reporters to “get their faggot asses out” after the media’s scheduled time with the players ended. At the time, Haley refused to offer any answers as to what the team’s approach would be towards Johnson’s antics, but he did state that the team would be evaluating his remarks shortly.

Johnson issued an apology via his Twitter account earlier today, claiming full responsibility for his actions:

“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.” - Kansas City RB Larry Johnson

While those words were met with encouragement from the Chiefs, team officials have apparently advised Johnson that he is not welcome at the team’s facilities for the time being, and speculation is rampant that a suspension or dismissal from the club is forthcoming. Haley did not elaborate on a specific punishment for the embattled running back, but given his repeated praise for RB Jamaal Charles, it’s doubtful that Johnson will be suiting up for the Chiefs anytime soon.

The league itself could very well take action on Johnson’s behavior, under its personal code of conduct, however it’s likely that commisioner Roger Goodell will give Kansas City time to act on it own before setting forth a league mandated punishment.

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