"Chiefs players packed up Thursday and went their separate ways for a long weekend free of football and distractions, but they took with them a warning. And perhaps the undisturbed locker in the heart of the locker room delivered it best: Don't forget that good judgment and smart choices are part of the job.

The players walked past running back Larry Johnson's locker after practice, before setting off on their bye-weekend plans. Coach Todd Haley gave them three days off before practice resumes Monday. Linebacker Mike Vrabel said he's going to Ohio. Cornerback Brandon Flowers posted on his Twitter page that he's throwing a party in south Florida.

Whatever they do, the Chiefs hope that their teammate's mistakes aren't buried too deeply in their minds.

"How these guys conduct themselves is very important to all of us," Haley said Thursday. "I delivered a message to them, and I'll keep that between us. I think that's just common sense.

"We obviously can't backtrack in any way, shape or form across the board. We worked hard this week to try and get better and I feel like we made progress. I think we've got a better idea about our football team right now."

It's unclear yet whether the Chiefs' future will include Johnson. He is suspended for two weeks, though Johnson's agent, Peter Schaffer, planned this week to appeal. Schaffer also told The Star this week that he and the Chiefs are working on a settlement that could determine Johnson's future with the team.

On Friday afternoon, Schaffer sent a text message to The Star, writing that things were "moving forward on both ends." He wouldn't confirm an earlier report that the appeal had been submitted.

Johnson was punished after he posted disparaging comments Sunday night about Haley on his Twitter page, posted a gay slur in a later tweet, and directed another gay slur at reporters Monday in the locker room.

Some Chiefs players said they received a hard lesson this week in how to conduct themselves.

"It looked bad for all of us," Vrabel said. "It doesn't send a message that we want to send.

"You just have to worry about yourself and really concentrate on how you want to be portrayed as a professional. … You just have to be careful. You affect a lot of people with what you do.""