Cynicism 10/22/08

First: Benefit of the doubt. Possibly a misunderstanding. Make recommendations.
Second: Something isn't quite right. Suggest counseling. Consider suspension.
Third: Address the issue directly and forcefully. Mandatory suspension.
Fourth: Termination.


Congrats to Chiefs Coach Herm Edwards for doing the right thing and 'deactivating' Larry Johnson for the game against the Jets. Equal congrats go out to Johnson for identifying that he may have issues in his life that need addressing. However.....

The Numerous Felonies League fell into a bad habit during the Paul Tagliabue years. Getting Commissioner Paul to do the right thing akin to pulling teeth. So far Roger Goodell is showing some backbone dealing with the problem of players with multiple criminal offenses. I get the impression that Goodell would prefer the teams deal with these issues internally and inserts his authority as a last resort. His is a tough position. The previous 'leadership' allowed the anything goes mentality to take hold and run unchecked for too long. Expecting Kansas City GM Carl Peterson to do the right thing, or anything, of his own accord.....maybe its best to save my feelings about the job performance of Peterson for a later writing.

Doesn't it stretch the imagination just a little bit that it has taken four incidents in five years for Johnson/Chiefs management to figure out that there might be a problem? Granted Johnson's actions haven't quite risen to Pacmanesque proportions (yet), or are anything similar to the Manny Ramirez altercation-something that could be swept under the rug and dealt with as an internal team issue. I recall news of the first Johnson incident years back, but I honestly don't remember hearing anything about the second or third. Of course, two and three could be chalked up as irrelevant since they happened when Johnson was in the midst of his best years.

Star status equals PR currency. 'Let's not deal with this right now. Larry Johnson is at the top of his marketability.' Now that #4 has happened and the luster on his star has ebbed a bit Johnson can be dealt with. Pathetic. Maybe the league or Chiefs management expected KC fans to revolt if the star running back was suspended while at the top of his game. Equally pathetic and downright insulting. Larry Johnson needed a wake-up call back then and his phone should have rang. As has been said before doing the right thing shouldn't have to be forced. How does the old saying go? True character is shown by our conduct when no one is watching?

If this is the best Chiefs fans can expect from team management go ahead and sell to Jerry Jones. At least then we'll know to be prepared for the lowest common denominator.

Thanks for reading.