The Larry Johnson Debacle

So, I have wanted to comment on the Larry Johnson situation, but I’ve also been hesitant to rehash a story from last week.  Fashionably late is one thing; old news is another.  Thankfully, with the new development today–the Chiefs releasing Johnson–I am able to give my remarks as if it’s a fresh issue.  First though, we need to do a quick recap for anyone that missed the story.  After, I want to pose a question on the matter despite already knowing the answer.

Once upon a time… LJ was whining on twitter, a fan challenges him, LJ responds calling the guy’s user image a “fag pic” and calling him a “Christopher Street boy” (a street identifiable with the gay community of New York City), and the next day he tells reporters to “Get your faggot asses out of here.”  He gets suspended for two weeks, gives the obligatory “apology,” and then has his suspension halved after a smidge of pressure for the Player’s Association.  After sitting out his week, and losing his paycheck for that game, he gets cut, 75 yards short of the Chiefs all-time rushing record.  Good riddance.

It would be quite redundant to simply comment on his remarks.  You already know what I would say, and those words have already been said by countless other bloggers and reporters.  I do, however, want to ask a question for discussion’s sake, a question that I wish the league had to answer.

Why has there not been more of a voice of support for the gay community from the NFL or the Chiefs?  The message they send is merely that they do not appreciate hate speech as it damages their images.  Why not stand up and say, “We recognize the gay community is a part of our fan base, that there have been and will always be gay players in our league, we want to support them, and we will not condone this type of behavior.”

The reason they do not come out so boldly: it is safest to not rock the boat.  LJ rocked the boat negatively, and they just want the ship steadied, nothing more.  The bottom-line controls everything, and sadly, they fear bold support of the gay community would affect it negatively.  They may even be correct, but as I pointed out in my previous post, as society comes around, so will the sports organizations.

gay slurs, Homophobia, Larry Johnson, NFL, twitter