If Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes remain New York Jets teammates in 2012, they might need an intervention to repair their relationship.

The Sanchez-Holmes rift was "as bad as I've ever been around," LaDainian Tomlinson revealed in a television interview.

Tomlinson, the latest player to characterize the dissension-torn locker room as The Florham Park Zoo, said he's not sure if Sanchez and Holmes can co-exist. The future Hall of Famer claimed the locker-room problems "got out of hand" toward the end of the season, adding that coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum fueled the mentality because they like players that speak their mind.

Details of the Sanchez-Holmes feud emerged at the end of the season, but Tomlinson said things started to fall apart in the third or fourth week.

"I've been around some locker rooms and quarterback-receiver situations and what-not, but it was as bad as I've been around," Tomlinson said on Showtime's "Inside the NFL," which aired Wednesday night.

"You know, it was at the point where I think the players could no longer do anything about it. There was nothing that the players could do. So when it gets to that point, there are certain changes that need to happen. Can it be fixed? I think absolutely it can be. But they're going to have to make some tough decisions."

Tomlinson said the players actually had a name for the rift -- the East Coast-West Coast beef, because Sanchez is from California, Holmes from Florida. He said they "poked fun at it," but he added, "In all seriousness, Santonio, obviously, he's a great player. There are some things that obviously he needs to work on as far as being a leader."

If he were the GM, Tomlinson said it would be a "tough one," the decision on whether to keep Sanchez and Holmes together. The Jets have said they plan to retain Holmes, who signed a five-year, $45 million contract before the season, but their true intentions will be known in the coming weeks. He's already guaranteed $7.75 million for 2012 and, if they don't cut by him Feb. 8, they'd have to guarantee an additional $7.5 million.

Tomlinson, contemplating retirement as he heads into free agency, didn't spare Ryan and Tannenbaum, intimating they contributed to the mess.

"They created this," he said. "This is the type of football team that they wanted. Mike Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan are both brash, in-your-face type of style, say whatever you want, just get it done on the field. And then it leads to other things, as guys are calling each other out and saying, 'I'm not getting the ball' or whatever it may be."