Bowe’s Suspension Will Hurt More Than Cutting Johnson

It’s been a tumultuous nine days for the Kansas City Chiefs. Last Monday, they cut troubled running back Larry Johnson. And now today, they lost wide receiver Dwayne Bowe for four games when the NFL suspended him for violating the league’s PED policy. (But hey, they beat Oakland!) So which personnel move will hurt the Chiefs more? Kent Babb of the KC Star has that answer: Bowe’s suspension is so much more crushing than LJ’s issues.

The problem for the Chiefs is that Bowe, unlike Larry Johnson, is part of the future. Bowe is 25 years old and is a huge part of what Kansas City sees as its foundation. While the Chiefs experimented by bringing in journeyman wide receivers, hoping to strike gold, Bowe was always the gem of the unit. He needed only a coat or two of polish.

When Johnson was suspended and then released for detrimental conduct, the Chiefs were confident they could move on. Other talented players were there. Cutting Johnson was a safe move. But losing Bowe, even if temporary, casts a long shadow on the future. This will elicit questions about everything Bowe does as he moves forward. It will raise questions about whether Haley’s conditioning regimen is too demanding of players, and whether it at least tempts them to turn to shortcuts. It will raise questions about this team’s discipline and judgment. Regardless of how those questions are answered, this cruel fact remains: A core member of the Chiefs future has made a colossal lapse in judgment, and it will leave a stain on his career.

Also found in Babb’s post is a story about Bowe showing up to the team’s conditioning program “a staggering 30 pounds overweight.” And suddenly a suspension stemming from him taking a weight loss diuretic makes sense.

Haley demoted Bowe, bullied him, disparaged him, embarrassed him. Somehow, it worked. Or seemed to. Bowe lost the weight and became the chiseled wideout that Haley envisioned so many months ago. It really didn’t take that long, either.

Now, everyone will wonder if Bowe’s transformation was legitimate. Did he lose those 30 pounds with hard work or with banned substances? More, people will wonder how long this has been going on. What else regarding Bowe can be attributed to these kinds of questions?