Truth is, L.J. dares Chiefs, NFL to suspend him -- so do it

The Kansas City Chiefs and/or the NFL -- take your pick -- have no choice. First they must find out if running back Larry Johnson owns up to the allegations of the past two days. Then, if he does, they must suspend him.

It's pretty basic stuff. Johnson bashes his head coach on a Twitter account that is alleged to be his; then, according to reporters, he uses a homophobic slur when they approach him in the locker room the next day. So Larry Johnson isn't the first guy to act like a child. Then treat him like a child.

If Larry Johnson is looking for some time off, the Chiefs -- or the NFL -- should give it to him. Without pay. (US Presswire)

This is no different than the Brandon Marshall mess in Denver. The controversial wide receiver wasn't happy with his situation or his head coach earlier this year so he thought he would "express himself," much as Johnson did in Kansas City. Marshall jogged through practice, batted down passes thrown at him and, in general, behaved like a jerk.

So the Broncos suspended him.

Beautiful. It was the perfect punishment to fit the crime. Marshall was testing a rookie head coach already under fire for the controversial trade of quarterback Jay Cutler and was determined to stop at nothing to get himself out of Denver. But he forgot something along the way: He doesn't get to make that decision; the front office and head coach do. So they made up their minds, and Marshall sat down.

Simple as that.

Marshall fought the law, and the law won. Which is the way it is supposed to be. Which is the way it should be in Kansas City -- provided, of course, that Johnson is responsible for what has been going on the past two days. All I know is that he had an opportunity to explain himself to reporters and declined. Worse, he used a gay slur.

That's where the league gets involved, and it should. Behavior like that can't and won't be tolerated, and if the NFL finds Johnson guilty it can beat the Chiefs to a verdict. Something needs to be done, and done soon. Denver's Josh McDaniels didn't waste time sitting down Marshall, and look what happened. The guy figured out who's the boss, that what he did was wrong and tried to make amends.

I don't know if that happens here, but it's worth a shot. Like Marshall, Johnson is challenging a rookie head coach, testing him to see what he will and won't tolerate. I don't know if Todd Haley gets to Johnson before the NFL, but if he does -- and if he finds Johnson did, in fact, behave like an uncaring, self-absorbed moron -- he needs to follow McDaniels' lead. Trust me, the rest of the roster is watching, eager to see how or if Haley and the Chiefs respond.

I heard someone say Tuesday morning that Haley never should have been hired in the first place, and that you must earn the respect of your players. Maybe. But that doesn't excuse what happened here. Haley is the head coach, and the head coach --- just by his position -- should have that respect. If he is pushed to earn it, then he is pushed to earn it. But he has no choice. He must act.

As I said, it's basic parenting. You try to guide a child through life and be there when he needs help or discipline. Children need direction, testing parents to see just how far the boundaries of authority extend, and parents generally respond by reminding them with quick and decisive action.

So make this quick and decisive. Someone needs to step in here and remind Larry Johnson that he is wrong for what he did and how he did it. I don't care that he's frustrated. I don't care that his offensive line can't open holes for him. I don't care that he's not the back he was two or three years ago. I don't even care that the Chiefs can't win. What I do care about is that he behaved in a reprehensible way, daring someone, anyone, to do something about it.

So do something.