November 5, 2009

Chiefs running back Larry Johnson comes back from his suspension next week, but some fans are already asking the team to bench him.

By Wednesday night, nearly 8,000 people had signed an online petition asking the Chiefs to deactivate Johnson.

Since Johnson is only 75 yards away from becoming the team's all-time leading rusher, the fans are asking General Manager Scott Pioli to stop that from happening.

The petition reads, in part: "While we are thankful for his service, we feel that Larry has been a black eye on the organization … We are asking you, as fans of this team, this organization, and of the pride that this city has in the Chiefs, please deactivate Larry Johnson. Please do not let his name sit atop the all-time rushing leaders in Kansas City Chiefs history."

Head coach Todd Haley declined to respond to questions about the petition.

Johnson was suspended for his public use of anti-gay slurs last month, which followed comments on his Twitter account where he criticized Haley's lack of football experience. Johnson issued a public apology for the slurs.