Did HBO persuade NFL star to end holdout?

Jason Whitlock, writing about Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson's decision to sign a contract extension on Tuesday, quotes Johnson on why he suddenly ended his 25-day holdout:

“The guys on the ‘Hard Knocks’ staff would tell me and show me interviews from guys on the team saying they missed me,” Johnson told me Tuesday evening. “That really got me. It was really more about loyalty to them (teammates) to get back here as soon as I could."

Now, it goes without saying that the absence of LJ from the Chiefs training camp is one of the big stories of the NFL preseason. Holdouts are fairly rare occurrences in pro football, and Johnson is one of the league's best at his position. So it isn't surprising that when HBO sent a documentary crew to film the Chiefs' training camp for its reality series "Hard Knocks," Johnson's holdout — and the reaction it got from other Chiefs players — would be one of the storylines on the show.

Still, I'm amazed at this quote. The implication is that Johnson, in the course of being interviewed by HBO, was shown dailies of other players telling HBO that they missed having LJ around, and that this was a key persuader in his decision to sign a contract extension for less money than he might have made had he continued his holdout.

I can't believe that it never occurred to HBO Sports staff — some of the best sports journalists around — that showing Johnson such highly emotional video would have an effect on the holdout running back. (Haven't they ever watched "Survivor"?) I'm mystified why they did it.

Since HBO is so determined to give us the real behind-the-scenes story, they had better put their president of sports Ross Greenburg on camera for the next edition of "Hard Knocks" to explain HBO's part in all this. In addition, the producers who showed Larry Johnson video of his teammates longing for his return need to explain their actions. HBO needs to come clean and admit that, intentionally or not, they helped close a deal for the Chiefs.

UPDATE: An HBO spokesman told me this afternoon that "Hard Knocks" couldn't have shown Larry Johnson any tape of his teammates because the local crew interviewing him in Arizona didn't have it. "NFL Films arranged for a three-man film crew to interview Larry Johnson during his holdout in Arizona," the spokesman said.  "That's what you saw in episode one. They had no capability to show him any footage of his teammates or anything else.  Just a routine film shoot that lasted an hour.  It is the only time NFL Films or HBO spent with Mr. Johnson during his holdout prior to his return to Kansas City this week. Larry Johnson has never screened footage or rough cuts and probably watched 'Hard Knocks' like everybody else -- live on HBO on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. CT." So in other words, it made a nice story.

Comments

[Louis]

I guess it comes down to whether "Hard Knocks" considers itself to be a documentary series or a "reality" series. "Reality TV" producers have no problem with manipulating the lives of their subjects.

[Dave]

Oh get a grip...
"Sports Journalists"?
TV personalities are what they are.
Did HBO "stage scenes"?
GOSH! If they did it was what? - GAMBLING IN THE CASINO?
Does ANYONE consider Brian Williams to be a JOURNALIST? (as an example).
How 'bout Ashleigh Banfield?
Anne Petersen?
GOLLY!

[Mark Jeffries]

Dave:

Have you actually watched "RealSports with Bryant Gumbel" or "CostasNOW?" Have you actually seen HBO's sports documentaries? Do you even get HBO? Do you actually have cable?

And what does HBO Sports have to do with NBC or CourtTV (other than common ownership) or Anne Peterson, who isn't even working in television now?

And how about turning your caps lock, huh cha cha?

[Bobby]

So HBO had an influence on LJ returning and not the similiar LT contract or the 19 million in guaranteed money. Pleasssssse..............

Woo boy. Glad you got to the bottom of that.

Now get this ridiculous link off the front of the Star's Web site.

[Aaron]

But then, you won't come visit me, Mr. Man So Confident in His Opinions That He Posts Anonymously! I miss you!

[Brian]

Witlock is an Idiot! Somewhere sports writers lost site. find the ridiculous or sicking way to go at every story. All local sports writers seem to have gone to JFK conspiracy school of bad writing.

[j-mac]

So essentially you are calling your colleague, Whitlock, a liar, right? Or is it LJ?

[Aaron]

I ain't callin' anybody anything. Jason is one of the country's great sportswriters and one of the best commentators today, period, on the subject of race.

What I'm saying is that HBO is saying what LJ said happened couldn't have happened ... but calling it a lie is a bit extreme. So that's why I said it made a nice story. He embroidered.

[TK]

I think the whole holdout thing in the first place was a set up to make the show about a lackluster Chiefs squad a bit more interesting. 1st - The Chiefs needed to pay LJ more, since they've abused him like hardly any others, and they likely were going to pay him. 2nd - There was no reason for a running back who had gotten so many carries the last couple of years to be in camp on time. Let the man rest. So, in order to make the show a bit more interesting, they packaged this all as some kind of a holdout situation. Just my opinion. Just as I think the Priest "comeback" is all for the HBO viewing audience...

[Darren Black]

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