[2] On May 4, 1871, Lennon, Fort Wayne's starting catcher, scored the first run in the opening game of the newly formed National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, when they defeated the visiting Cleveland Forest Citys 2-0.

On July 23, 1871, the Kekiongas discharged Ed Mincher (Lennon's future brother-in-law) and Pete Donnelly, claiming the players violated their contracts when they left the club without warning or permission and that the two men were also in arrearages with the organization.

The second was that Lennon “violated all rules of decency” on June 24 while at the Hotel Earle in New York, and that he “refused to obey orders” leveled by the team’s directors.

Addressing the “refused to obey orders” charge, Lennon explained this was likely related to a game against the New York Mutuals for which he was once again told to “lay off” due to his hand.

The Chicago Tribune defended Lennon and blasted the Fort Wayne front office, labeling them as cheap and mean spirited, and stating that their players were treated as though they lived in a company town, with deductions from salary to cover things like board while on the road, train fare, etc.

The newspaper found it nearly impossible for a player to become intoxicated on the little money with which they were left after these deductions, and that Lennon’s case is representative of how the entire team was treated.