New York Jets running back Chris Johnson, who will be a free agent Tuesday, was shot over the weekend in a drive by shooting in Orlando that claimed the life of Dreekius Oricko Johnson, who was driving a car that Johnson and another man were riding in.
Johnson and the other passenger were shot in the arm. No arrests have been made yet in connection with the shooting, and the Jets have issued a brief statement on the matter. ''Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris and everyone impacted by this tragic event,'' a statement released by the team read.
Johnson had been arrested in January in Orlando on a previous weapons charge, but that is not linked to this shooting, nor is it believed to have been a major part of the Jets letting him go this offseason.
Johnson's release likely had more to do with his being outperformed by Chris Ivory all season. 2014 marked the first of Johnson's career in which he rushed for fewer than 1,000 yards; he totaled 663 yards on the ground, and scored just two total touchdowns. He failed to top 1,000 yards from scrimmage, and averaged a paltry 41.4 yards per game while on less than 10 carries.
Recently, Johnson had been critical of the organization along with ex-tight end Kellen Winslow. Unhappy with his usage, Johnson thought Jets higher-ups took the decisions out of then-coach Rex Ryan's hands.
"I think a lot of it was out of [then-Jets coach Rex Ryan's] hands because when I sat down and talked to Rex before I signed with the Jets, my role and my situation were explained to me totally different to what actually happened," Johnson said, via ProFootballTalk.
"That's just what it was. It was never a type of thing where I was just being outplayed or anything like that. It was never a situation where I got the opportunity to show my talents and be used the way that I was supposed to be used."
[Yahoo]
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