After the Kansas City Chiefs cut former Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson from the team following a laundry list of off-field gaffes, gay slurs, brushes with domestic violence, and who knows what else behind closed doors, his future seemed uncertain.

Not a team to rest on its perennial losing laurels (although they sit atop the AFC North with a 7-2 record this year), the Cincinnati Bengals have scooped Johnson up, and are finalizing a deal that will bring the troubled athlete to nearby Ohio.

Already, Equality Cincinnati, a gay-rights advocacy group, has called the acquisition a “slap in the face” to the forging of gay rights and tolerance in Cincinnati. Executive Director Lesley Jones made the following commenst to TMZ.com:

“We do not think that would be a favorable decision on the part of the Bengals.

“We would see this as a slap in the face to all the work we’ve done for equality and LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender) rights in Cincinnati.

“(The Bengals) must take action to prove that they support equality and LBGT rights in the city.”

What do you think, Blog Out faithful? Did Johnson deserve a second chance? Should off-the-field behavior lead to on-the-field consequences? I can almost hear the chorus of boos in Oakland this Sunday already.