Larry Johnson ( American football ) Larry Alphonso Johnson , Jr . ( born November 19 , 1979 ) is a former American football running back in 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 . He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals , Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins . Early years . Johnson was born in Pomfret , Maryland . He was one of three children born to Christine and Larry Johnson , Sr . . His father is a former high school vice - principal , a high school football coach , and the defensive line coach at Penn State University . Johnson graduated from State College Area High School in State College , Pennsylvania , where he played for the State College Little Lions high school football team . College career . Johnson attended Pennsylvania State University , and played for coach Joe Paterno ' s Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 1999 to 2002 . As a senior in 2002 , he rushed for over 2 , 000 yards in a season without winning the Heisman Trophy , despite doing so with fewer carries than any other running back in the exclusive 2 , 000 - yard club . He averaged 8 . 0 yards per carry during the regular season , a mark that would have been an NCAA record . However , by 2002 the NCAA had begun counting bowl games toward statistical totals , and Johnson ' s performance against Auburn in the postseason ( 20 carries for 72 yards ) brought his average to just below the record of 7 . 8 held by 1983 Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier . Johnson broke the Penn State record for rush ing yards in a game three times in 2002 . His 257 yards in a 49 – 0 home thrashing of Northwestern broke Curt Warner ' s previous record of 256 yards set against Syracuse in 1981 . He then went on to rack up 279 yards in an 18 – 7 home win against Illinois and 327 yards in a 58 – 25 road win against Indiana . He surpassed the 2 , 000 - yard mark by gaining 279 yards on just 19 attempts in the Penn State Nittany Lions ' final Big Ten Conference game against Michigan State . Johnson gained all 279 of his rushing yards in the first half , and was kept on the bench for the entire second half of the game . He finished the 2002 season with 2 , 087 yards . Following his 2002 senior season , Johnson was a first - team All - Big Ten selection and was recognized as a unanimous first - team All - American . He also won the Doak Walker Award ( top running back ) , the Maxwell Award ( top college player ) , and the Walter Camp Award ( top college player ) . Johnson rushed for 2 , 159 yards and 29 touchdowns . Johnson also recorded 31 tackles and 7 sacks as a defensive end for the Nittany Lions . He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in integrative arts from Penn State in 2002 . Professional career . Kansas City Chiefs . 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 . At the end of the 2005 regular season , Johnson had nine consecutive games with 100 + rushing yards , passing the 100 - yard mark in every start for the Chiefs that season and earning a Pro Bowl berth . During the final game of the 2005 regular season , Johnson set a new franchise record of 1 , 750 rushing yards in one season , despite not starting in 7 games during the season . In addition to his running ability , Johnson proved himself to be an adept receiver . In 2005 , Johnson caught 33 passes for 343 yards , averaging over 10 yards per reception . Johnson was named the 2005 MVP for the Chiefs . The Chiefs ' record in 2005 was 10 – 6 , but did not make the playoffs in spite of a winning record . With injuries limiting Holmes during the previous two seasons , Johnson began the 2006 season as Kansas City ' s featured back . He rushed for 1 , 789 yards ( second in the league ) on 416 carries , an NFL record for most carries in a season . The Chiefs made an appearance in the playoffs with a 9 – 7 record , where Johnson ran for 32 yards on 13 carries against the Indianapolis Colts . At the conclusion of the season , Johnson was selected for his second Pro Bowl appearance . On June 21 , 2007 Johnson stated that he was willing to sit out the Chiefs ' training camp unless he and the Chiefs reach an agreement on a new contract . On July 22 , rumors spread about Johnson being traded to the Green Bay Packers . The initial asking price was a first - , second - , and third - round draft pick . However , on August 21 , Johnson and the Chiefs agreed to a five - year contract extension that locked Johnson up with the Chiefs through the 2012 season . As a result of the extension , Johnson was the highest - paid running back in the NFL based on average salary per year . His new contract covered six years and was to pay him $ 45 million , with $ 19 million in guaranteed money – the biggest contract in Chiefs history . In week 9 of the 2007 regular season , Johnson was sidelined late in the 4th quarter against the Green Bay Packers with a foot injury . The injury was season - ending , as Johnson did not see any playing time in the rest of the 2007 season and was placed on the injured reserve list . Johnson ended the season with 559 yards on 158 attempts and only three rushing touchdowns . In Johnson ' s first regular season game since his injury , he rushed for 74 yards on 22 carries with an average of 3 . 4 yards per carry against the New England Patriots on September 7 , 2008 . The Chiefs lost the game 17 – 10 . After a loss to the Oakland Raiders the following week , Johnson spoke out about his low number of carries . In his next two games , Johnson rushed for a combined 319 yards on 52 attempts with an average of 6 . 1 yards per carry . Johnson was suspended for the Chiefs ' game against the Tennessee Titans on October 18 for violating team rules . Johnson also was benched for the following game against the New York Jets . Johnson , after weeks of being inactive for the Chiefs , was suspended by league commissioner Roger Goodell for the team ' s week 10 game against the San Diego Chargers . He would finish the season with 874 yards and five touchdowns . Johnson ' s 2009 season got off to a very slow start , despite Johnson keeping his starting job . As of week 8 , he had 132 attempts for only 358 yards . His 2 . 7 yards per carry were the worst of any NFL running back with at least 70 carries . The Chiefs as a whole , and not just Johnson , struggled mightily in 2009 , losing their first 5 games before winning 14 – 6 over the Washington Redskins . In the Washington game , Johnson had his best start of the season by gaining 82 yards on 23 attempts . On October 27 , 2009 , the Chiefs " instructed Larry to refrain from practicing with the Chiefs or participating in other team activities " for his Twitter comments on Chiefs head coach Todd Haley and reportedly using gay slurs when he addressed the media . Because of his comments , Johnson encountered backlash from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation . Johnson ' s Twitter comments were : " My father got more credentials than most of these pro coaches . " That was followed by : " My father played for the coach from " rememeber the titans " . Our coach played golf . My father played for redskins briefley . Our coach . Nuthn . " Johnson ' s tweets were responded by fans , one tweet including a reference to the nightclub incident . Johnson ' s response used the word " fag " . The final post read : " Make me regret it . Lmao . U don ' t stop my checks . Lmao . So ' tweet ' away . " Johnson said about the incidents , " First of all , I want to apologize to the fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the NFL , Commissioner Goodell , the Chiefs organization , Coach Todd Haley , his staff , and my teammates for the words I used yesterday . I regret my actions . The words were used by me in frustration , and they were not appropriate . " 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 . On November 9 , the day Johnson was due to return from his suspension , the Chiefs waived him . Reportedly , the final straw for Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli was yet another tweet in which Johnson belittled a fan for making less money than him . Johnson ' s agent , Schaffer , issued the following statement : " A part of him is excited and a part of him is very regretful . There ' s a lot of feelings going on right now . It ' s analogous to breaking up with a girlfriend . Maybe you saw it coming , but it still hurts when it happens . " Cincinnati Bengals . In November 2009 , Johnson signed with the Cincinnati Bengals for the prorated league minimum pay . Johnson served as backup to starting running back Cedric Benson . In the Bengals week 12 win over the Browns , Johnson rushed for 107 yards , his only 100 yard game of the season . Washington Redskins . Johnson signed a three - year contract worth up to $ 12 million with the Washington Redskins as an unrestricted free agent on March 12 , 2010 . He played for former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan . On September 21 , 2010 , Johnson was released by the Redskins . Miami Dolphins . On August 23 , 2011 , Johnson signed with the Miami Dolphins . On September 3 , 2011 the Dolphins terminated Johnson ' s contract during final roster cuts . He rushed for 46 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries in the 2011 preseason . However , he was re - signed on September 8 after an injury to Daniel Thomas . He was released following the Dolphins ' week 2 loss to the Houston Texans when he only ran the ball once for a 2 - yard gain . Personal . Johnson and his father , Larry , Sr . , maintain a close relationship , and Johnson has referred to his father as his " best friend " . Johnson ' s brother and manager , Tony Johnson , is a former starting wide receiver for Penn State from 2000 – 2003 . He appeared on the cover of NCAA Gamebreaker 2004 in a Penn State uniform . In 2007 , Johnson appeared in Fantasia ' s music video for the song " When I See U " . Johnson also made an appearance in Jay - Z ' s music video " Roc Boys ( And the Winner Is ) . . . " . He is known for flashing " The Roc " symbol whenever he scores a rushing touchdown . This symbol is made with both palms facing out and touching both thumbs together and both index fingers together . Johnson signed a contract with the Team Roc clothing line founded by Jay - Z . Legal troubles . Johnson has been arrested four times since 2003 on various assault charges against women . In 2003 , he was arrested for felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor domestic battery for waving a gun at his then - girlfriend , during an argument at his home . The charges were dropped when Johnson agreed to participate in a domestic violence diversion program . In 2005 , he was again arrested for assault when a woman accused Johnson of pushing her to the ground , but the case was dropped after the alleged victim failed to appear in court for three hearings . His third arrest for assault came in February 2008 , after allegedly pushing a woman ' s head at a nightclub . In October 2008 Johnson was arrested for the fourth time and charged with one count of non - aggravated assault for allegedly spitting a drink in a woman ' s face at a Kansas City nightclub on October 11 . The woman involved filed a civil suit against Johnson , accusing him of negligence , assault and battery , intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress . Johnson would be deactivated for the October 19 , 2008 , game against the Tennessee Titans for violating an undisclosed team rule . The team said his suspension for this game was unrelated to the criminal investigation . In March 2009 , Johnson pleaded guilty to two counts of disturbing the peace , regarding the two incidents in 2008 , and was sentenced to two years probation . On October 5 , 2012 , Johnson was again arrested in Las Vegas for domestic violence charges that include strangulation , after meeting a former girlfriend at a Las Vegas Strip hotel and casino . The 32 - year - old woman was said to have had several injuries to her face and bruising on her neck . He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center with bond set at $ 15 , 000 and was released after spending 18 hours behind bars .