Kansas City, Mo. ? For the second time, the assault case against Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has been delayed.

Kansas City Municipal Court Judge Leonard Hughes III on Tuesday continued the case to Feb. 7 over the objections of Johnson’s attorneys, who said they were ready to try the case.

“This thing has taken on a life of its own,” Johnson’s attorney, Kevin Regan, said outside the courthouse. “This thing is kind of concerning. How would you like 20 (reporters) chasing you down the street for something you didn’t do?”

The assault charge stems from a Sept. 10 altercation with an Overland Park woman in a Kansas City bar. The woman, who says she had been involved with Johnson for more than two years, told police he shoved her.

The city asked for a continuance, and Hughes, as he did Sept. 20, agreed to postpone the case.

Regan said he had five witnesses ready to testify that Johnson “never touched that woman.”