Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

The Kansas City Chiefs just announced they are investigating reported homophobic comments made by running back Larry Johnson on Monday and that Johnson has been told to stay away from team activities during the investigation:

Johnson

Here is the team’s statement:

"The Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League are continuing to investigate the alleged comments made by Larry Johnson. Until that review is complete, the Chiefs have instructed Larry to refrain from practicing with the Chiefs or participating in other team activities. A decision regarding Larry’s status will be made once the investigation has concluded."

Here is the apology from Johnson, released by his agent, Peter Schaffer, shortly before the Chiefs' statement:

"First of all, I want to apologize to the fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the NFL, Commissioner [Roger] 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. I did not intend to offend anyone, but that is no excuse for what I said.

"I also want to apologize to all the kids who view athletes as role models. I was not a good role model yesterday and hopefully I can become a better role model. We all make mistakes, and the challenge is to learn from them. I will do my best to learn from this one as I move toward becoming a better person, teammate, and member of the Kansas City Chiefs team and community."