Former Penn State star Larry Johnson now unemployed

by Eric Schwartz

Monday November 9, 2009 

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It has been a bad week to be a Nittany Lion.

First, Penn State went out and got beat around in Happy Valley by Ohio State on Saturday, ending its hopes of being awarded a BCS bowl, and now one of their alumni has hit a career low.

The Kansas City Chiefs cut ties with running back Larry Johnson today, releasing him after his latest off-field trouble in which he used a gay slur. He also used his Twitter account to question his coach’s competence last week.

Apparently that was the last straw.

What a fall it has been for Johnson who produced back-to-back 1,700 yard seasons with the Chiefs just a few years back. However, injuries have slowed his production on the field and sped up his mouth off of it.

While at Penn State, Johnson was a beast. In his senior season he rushed for 2,015 yards and 20 touchdowns, finishing third in the Heisman race.

Seven years later he is unemployed.

Over the next few weeks we will find out which team is willing to throw a bone Johnson’s way — and you know more than one team will. Although he is now 30, Johnson has enough appeal to make a desperate GM pick him up. The question is, can Johnson still cut it as a starting running back in the NFL? His results the last two seasons say no, but then again, who could succeed with the awful offensive line that has been put together in Kansas City.

If I had to guess, I would say Johnson will be nothing more than a backup for someone moving forward. If he is a backup with a winning team and a good line he has a chance to be a difference-maker. If a team like the Browns pick him up, 3.0 yards per carry will continue to be the trend.

It has been a hard fall for a player who was loved in his time with Penn State. We will see if he is able to pick himself up.

Filed Under College Football

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