KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ If lack of privacy is the price athletes pay for celebrity, Bam Morris has been overcharged.

Candidates for president undergo less public scrutiny. Every misstep and personal problem ever attributed to this running back with the large appetite and soft voice seems fair game for moralizing columnists and talk show gossips.

Everybody knows he was suspended twice by the NFL earlier in his career for substance abuse, and that he once spent almost three months in a Texas jail for possession of marijuana. And that Kansas City is probably his last chance at an NFL career.

But when most people get in trouble with their boss, it's handled discretely behind closed doors.

Not Bam.

He lands in the Kansas City Chiefs' doghouse for being out of shape and loses his job as starting halfback, and it's front-page news.

On an even more personal basis, most people, when diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, deal with it quietly within their family.

Not Bam.

No sooner had he been named starter for this week's game against the unbeaten Detroit Lions than Chiefs coach Gunther Cunningham revealed that Morris had been treated for ADD since 1996.

Naturally, as soon as practice was over, he was immediately engulfed by what must have seemed like every notebook and TV camera in Kansas City.

"You all pretty much know everything about me," he said quietly, staring at the floor.

Cunningham suggested his medication was partly responsible for his weight gain.

Not Bam.

"I changed medication," he said. "It doesn't do anything to my appetite. I wish it would curb it, kill it."

He said the symptions for ADD were first detected when he was a youngster in Texas.

"Attention span was short ... fidgety, lack of concentration," he said. "Even through high school and college. My doctor at home was, `He'll grow out of it. He's just hyper.' But I never did. They lost track of it and I kind of just dealt with it."

Morris, who rushed for 481 yards after being signed last October, will replace Kimble Anders _ lost for the year with surgery on his Achilles' tendon after rushing for a career-best 142 yards last week in a 26-10 victory over Denver.

For the second straight week the Chiefs (1-1) will be facing a team dealing with the retirement of an offensive superstar. But where the Broncos can't win without John Elway, the Lions (2-0) haven't lost without Barry Sanders.

Behind second-year quarterback Charlie Batch, the Lions will be looking for their first 3-0 start since winning their first four in 1980.

While Sanders contemplates whether to stay retired, Ron Rivers is averaging 4.5 yards on 150 carries and Cory Schlesinger is averaging 3.5.

Batch, outplaying Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf, who were drafted ahead of him, has thrown for 435 yards and five touchdowns in the two games. He also scored the game-winner in last week's 23-15 win over Green Bay, running it in on a bootleg play.

"The nice thing is that the passing game stepped up," said Rivers. "It's great that no one knows which aspect is going to be on top from game to game. That makes it a lot harder for teams to get ready for us."

Batch has already been sacked nine times, and the line will be even more patchwork this week with the loss of left guard Tony Semple, out for about four weeks with an injured elbow.

If the Lions have a real concern, it's that offensive line.

"Chemistry is very important for an offensive line, and that's hard to get when you have so many guys out with injuries," said Schlesinger. "For us, if they put five guys out there, we can run behind them. But the linemen have to know what to expect from each other."

Morris will also be running behind a banged-up line. Standout left guard Dave Szott underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and will be replaced by Jeff Smith.

Some running backs might complain about having an undermanned line for their first start of the year.

Not Bam.

"I was put here for something. I don't know what it is yet," he said. "I just go on. I've just got to deal with it. I know what I've got to do."

DETROIT Season schedule and results

KANSAS CITY Season schedule and results

September 12 @Seattle W 28-20 September 19 Green Bay W 23-15 September 26 @Kansas City 1:00pm ET October 10 San Diego 1:00pm ET October 17 Minnesota 1:00pm ET October 24 @Carolina 1:00pm ET October 31 Tampa Bay 8:20pm ET November 7 St. Louis 1:00pm ET November 14 @Arizona 4:15pm ET November 21 @Green Bay 1:00pm ET November 25 Chicago 12:40pm ET December 5 Washington 1:00pm ET December 12 @Tampa Bay 1:00pm ET December 19 @Chicago 1:00pm ET December 25 Denver 4:15pm ET January 2 @Minnesota 1:00pm ET

September 12 @Chicago L 17-20 September 19 Denver W 26-10 September 26 Detroit 1:00pm ET October 3 @San Diego 4:15pm ET October 10 New England 1:00pm ET October 21 @Baltimore 8:20pm ET October 31 San Diego 1:00pm ET November 7 @Indianapolis 1:00pm ET November 14 @Tampa Bay 1:00pm ET November 21 Seattle 1:00pm ET November 28 @Oakland 4:15pm ET December 5 @Denver 4:15pm ET December 12 Minnesota 8:20pm ET December 18 Pittsburgh 12:40pm ET December 26 @Seattle 4:05pm ET January 2 Oakland 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

Copyright 1999 STATS, Inc. Commercial distribution without the express written consent of STATS is prohibited.