| Name |
Larry Johnson |
| Height |
6 ft 1 in |
| Naionality |
American |
| Date of Birth |
19-November-1979 |
| Place of Birth |
Pomfret, Maryland |
| Famous for |
Football Player |
Larry Johnson is an American football running back who last played for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Penn State University, and was recognized as an All-American. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft, and has also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins of the NFL.
He is currently a free agent. Johnson was drafted in the first round with the 27th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft as insurance for the Kansas City Chiefs, who were unsure if Priest Holmes would be healthy or even sign a contract extension. Johnson was drafted over the objection of head coach Dick Vermeil, who wanted to select a defensive player, and despite the lack of recent NFL success by Penn State running backs. The conflicts between Johnson and Vermeil grew, and in 2004 Vermeil said that Johnson needed to grow up and "take the diapers off." Johnson took great offense to this comment, and the public estrangement led to rumors that he would be traded. However, towards the end of the 2004 season, Johnson got an opportunity to start after injuries to Priest Holmes and Derrick Blaylock. Facing the same situation in 2005, with Blaylock gone and Holmes having gone down with a season-ending neck injury in early November, Johnson stepped up, and on November 20 against the Houston Texans ran for a Chiefs' record 211 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
He led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns after the injury to Holmes. On October 28, 2009, the Chiefs suspended Johnson until November 9 for "conduct detrimental to the club." They ultimately agreed to a deal with his agent, Peter Schaffer, in which he would only lose one game check ($300,000). At the time of the suspension, Johnson was only 75 yards from passing Priest Holmes as the franchise's all-time leading rusher. This angered several fans, who started a petition demanding that the Chiefs either deactivate, release or waive him. The petition said that Johnson "has never represented anything close to the values that we have for our Chiefs" and thus did not deserve the record.
