Anyone who expected Chiefs coach Todd Haley to lay down the law at his Monday press conference following Larry Johnson’s 24 hours of destruction tour came away sorely disappointed.
Haley, looking every bit the exhausted head coach a 1-6 team, calmly said he wouldn’t address Johnson’s comments -- yet.
“How our players conduct themselves with the media and through the media is very important to myself as a head coach and to the Chiefs as an organization,” Haley said. “With that said, I appreciate the curiosity and the desire to obtain information, but that’s where I’ll leave that situation and kind of get back to football.”
How the Chiefs officially handle Johnson’s situation remains to be seen. The league could also get involved. But Haley made it clear the team hasn’t made any decisions yet.
“At this time we are looking into a couple of situations and I will not have further comment on that,” Haley said.
The team’s bye week comes at a good time to handle the Johnson issue and get the team’s offense healthy.
In a sometimes-reflective, revealing session, Haley was essentially asked to defend himself and his lack of playing experience. With his boss surely watching and plenty of his players likely to catch sound bites of the session later, Haley didn’t apologize for his background.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve done to get to where I am,” Haley said. “I’m very proud of my results as a position coach and as a coordinator. Right now, am I proud of my head coaching record? No. But I intend to do everything that I can to change that.”