KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Larry Johnson isn't eligible to rejoin the Chiefs until Monday, but in his absence, the messages directed at him are mounting.
The team and thousands of fans sent pointed messages this week that Johnson's misdeeds of the past did not come without consequences. Near the Chiefs' locker room, signs have been placed this week with words about unity, discretion and judgment. The most telling sign hung Wednesday near a hallway used frequently by players, coaches, reporters and organization officials. It stated: "Losers assemble in small groups and complain about the coaches and other players. Winners assemble as a team and find ways to win."
That message seemed clearly directed at Johnson, who called out coach Todd Haley last week in a Twitter post, before using a pair of gay slurs on his Twitter profile and, a day later, to a group of reporters. That combination of misbehavior was deemed detrimental to the team, and Johnson was suspended for two weeks. He'll miss Sunday's game at Jacksonville, and the suspension will cost him about $330,000.
When he returns -- it's unclear if Johnson will face additional punishment -- he'll be 74 yards shy of Priest Holmes' team rushing record. Johnson has said breaking the record is important to him, and a growing online movement has made it clear that it's important to many outsiders that Johnson not become the team's all-time leading rusher.
As of 5 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, a petition aimed at stopping Johnson from breaking Holmes' record had collected more than 5,300 "signatures," or users who submitted their names in favor of preventing Johnson from becoming the most prolific rusher in Chiefs history.
Two of the three men who started the petition told The Kansas City Star on Wednesday that it started as a discussion among friends -- before it became clear the three Olathe natives and longtime Chiefs fans weren't alone.
"The fans are speaking in loud numbers. It doesn't grow like this without fans really caring," said Dan Cataldi, who lives in Des Moines and posted the petition last Thursday.
"We're frustrating with losing, but we can tolerate that. We just weren't ready to see Larry Johnson own any record in Kansas City the way he's treated Kansas Citians. We decided that we wanted to do something."
Cataldi, 33; Andy Phelan, 32; and Joe Pinsky, 32; drafted a letter last Thursday to Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli before posting the petition on a pair of social-networking sites last week. Several national media outlets discovered it Wednesday, and the petition attracted thousands of hits.
"Years of frustration," said Phelan, who now lives in Chicago.
Johnson's agent, Peter Schaffer, told The Star on Wednesday that it's unfortunate that Chiefs fans aren't interested in seeing Johnson break the rushing record. But Schaffer acknowledged that his client has work to do before the majority of Kansas City fans is willing to support him.
"You're not going to please everyone all the time," Schaffer said. "If there's some people who don't believe that Larry is worthy of that record at this time, hopefully he can do more on and off the field to try to change those opinions.
"At the end of the day, the record will be what the record is. But you'd hope that the fans appreciate the effort that players put in on their behalf. If they're not happy with it, then the best way to handle it is to work that much harder."
Haley was asked Wednesday about the petition, but he said he "will not respond about that in any way." The Chiefs wouldn't discuss the matter, either.
Cataldi said he's hopeful that the friends' message has been delivered. Now, Cataldi said, he hopes that Holmes' record is protected -- at least for now.
"It's held by somebody that we like, that the city likes, that respects the city, and has a good relationship with the city," Cataldi said. "We don't feel that Larry Johnson is that person at all.
"We hope that the message is now strong enough to Pioli and Haley, and even to Clark Hunt, that the fans are speaking."
___
(c) 2009, The Kansas City Star.
Visit The Star Web edition on the World Wide Web at .
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
