Chad Johnson Biography
Chad Johnson is an American retired wide receiver, who served as a professional football player, and dedicated 11 seasons to the National Football League (NFL). He joined the FOX Sports news team in 2000, as a studio analyst.
Chad Johnson Career
Johnson graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School and briefly attended Langston University, where he did not play football. In 1997, he transferred to Santa Monica College in California, playing alongside future NFL wide receiver Steve Smith. His first exposure to organized soccer came in high school, but he prioritized football, viewing it as a potential professional career. He played college football at Santa Monica College and Oregon State University. Later, he enjoyed an 11-season career in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots. Drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft, he spent a decade with the team before being traded to the Patriots in 2011, where he played in Super Bowl XLVI. In 2012, he had a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins during the preseason but was released after an arrest for domestic violence.
He continued his football career with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2014 to 2015. Additionally, he played a game in 2017 for the Mexican team Monterrey Fundidores in the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional. He established himself as one of the most productive NFL wide receivers in the 2000s, holding numerous Bengals receiving records. Acknowledged for his social media influence, CNBC listed him as the top athlete in social media in April 2011. A six-time NFL Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro team member. Furthermore, he was voted the number one wide receiver on the Bengals’ 40th Anniversary team. In 2011, when he was known as Chad Ochocinco, he had a four-day trial with Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City. He also played semi-professionally with Boca Raton FC in his home state of Miami. Currently, he serves as an ambassador for EA Sports.
In March 2016, Johnson took to Twitter to reach out to his former wide receivers coach with the Bengals and then-head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Hue Jackson. In his tweet, he asked if he could work with the receivers during the Browns’ training camp. By July 2016, Jackson agreed to have him serve as a guest instructor for the team. Jackson acknowledged that Johnson expressed an interest in trying his hand at coaching. As of now, Johnson serves as a panelist on the weekly highlight show “Inside the NFL,” a position he has held since the show moved to The CW in 2023. Additionally, he collaborated with RockLive to design an iPhone game called “Mad Chad,” which was released on November 18, 2010. The game gained popularity and was featured on iTunes as a frequently downloaded app in 2010.
On March 1, 2010, it was revealed that Johnson would participate as a contestant on the tenth season of “Dancing with the Stars.” His dance partner for the season was Cheryl Burke, a two-time champion of the show. The season premiered on Monday, March 22, 2010. Despite his efforts, Johnson was eliminated from the competition as one of the final four contestants on May 18, 2010. This exit came after receiving the lowest judges’ score and number of votes, marking him as the 100th contestant to be eliminated in the history of the show. He was notably featured in various television shows and projects outside of his football career. He had his own segment on Sports Soup called “Child, Please.” During the 2010-2011 NFL season, he collaborated with teammate Terrell Owens for a talk show called “The T. Ocho Show” on Versus, covering topics such as football, basketball, and pop culture.
However, the show was canceled in 2011 due to Comcast’s plans to re-launch Versus as an NBC Sports-branded service. In 2010, Ochocinco starred in his own reality dating show, “Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch,” on VH1. Aspiring singer-songwriter Rubi Pazmino won the show, and fellow NFL wide receivers Terrell Owens and Bernard Berrian made occasional appearances as advisors. Additionally, he made several cameo appearances, including guest hosting WWE Raw, a cameo role in the film “American Reunion,” and appearances on TV shows such as “Blue Mountain State” and “The League.” He was featured in a national pistachio commercial and appeared in the R&B singer Monica’s music video for “Everything to Me.” He voiced himself and was featured on the cover of EA’s 2006 video game NFL Street 3, playing the main adversary in the game.
He also participated in PETA’s “Ink Not Mink” ad campaign, appearing nude with a strategically placed football to promote choosing tattoos over wearing animal fur. Furthermore, he took part in the WeTV reality show “Marriage Bootcamp Reality Stars: Family Edition” with his mother Paula. Premiering on April 28, 2017, the show dealt with unconventional therapy for celebrity families. In a surprising turn, on May 3, 2021, he entered the boxing ring as part of the undercard for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul fight card, facing Brian Maxwell. The exhibition fight went the full four two-minute rounds, and as neither fighter was knocked out, and no scorecard was kept, no winner was declared.
Chad Johnson Salary
Johnson earns an annual salary of about $47,000-$120,000.
Chad Johnson Net Worth
Johnson has an estimated net worth of about $1 Million – $7 Million which he has earned through his career as a football player.
Chad Johnson Age
Johnson was born on January 9, 1978, in Miami, Florida, United States. He is 46 years old as of 2024, and he celebrates his birthday on the 9th of January every year.
Chad Johnson Height and Weight
Johnson stands at a height of 6 feet 1 inches tall, and he weighs 192 lbs (87kgs).
Chad Johnson Family
Johnson is the son of the late Sam Brown and Paula Johnson. He also has three siblings called; Syleena Johnson, Chinita and Sam Brown Jr.
Chad Johnson Wife and Children
Johnson was married to Evelyn Lozada who is best known for starring Basketball Wives and they got engaged on November 16, 2010. Johnson and Lozada tied the knot on July 4, 2012, and divorced on September 19, 2012. He has been blessed with nine children among them; Chade, Jicyra, Cha’iel, Chad Johnson II, a wide receiver at Arizona State University and Serenity ‘Hurricane’ Paula Johnson born in January 2022 with his fiance Sharelle Rosado. Rosado is a United States Army Veteran and real estate broker. He resides in Philadelphia together with his family.
Chad Johnson Arrest
On August 11, 2012, Johnson faced legal trouble when he was arrested on a charge of domestic battery by the Davie, Florida police. The incident reportedly occurred after an argument with his then-wife, Evelyn Lozada, during which he allegedly headbutted her. Following the arrest, he was released the next day on a $2,500 bond. Subsequently, the Miami Dolphins released him from the team on the same day. In response to the incident, Lozada filed for divorce three days later, citing that the marriage was “irretrievably broken.” The divorce was finalized on September 19, 2012. On September 21, 2012, Johnson entered a plea of no contest to misdemeanor domestic battery, resulting in an agreement with prosecutors and Lozada. This plea deal allowed him to avoid jail time, and he received a year of probation.
However, trouble persisted for him, as a warrant was issued for his arrest on May 7, 2013, for allegedly violating the terms of his probation. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office reported that he had failed to meet with probation specialists and did not provide proof of enrollment and completion of a batterers intervention program. He turned himself in on May 20, 2013, posting a $1,000 bond and was released later that day. On June 10, 2013, he faced consequences for violating his probation when he was sentenced to thirty days in jail. Despite a prior plea deal that did not involve jail time, Judge Kathleen McHugh rejected it after he playfully slapped his male attorney on the back in court, deeming his behavior as not taking the matter seriously. In addition to the jail sentence, his probation was extended for three months, requiring 25 hours of community service and two counseling sessions per week. Johnson apologized to the court and was released from jail on June 17, 2013.
Chad Johnson Name Changes
Johnson’s name underwent several changes, reflecting his playful and dynamic personality. On October 25, 2006, during Hispanic Heritage Month, he announced his preference to be called “Ocho Cinco,” which means “eight five” in Spanish, in reference to his jersey number “85.” Despite being fined $5,000 by the NFL for wearing the name tag during warm-ups, he legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ochocinco on August 29, 2008. While the Cincinnati Bengals initially allowed him to have “OCHOCINCO” on the back of his jersey, contractual obligations with Reebok led him to wear his old “C. Johnson” jersey during the 2008 season. From the 2009 season to the 2011 season, he played with “OCHOCINCO” on the back of his jersey, although he desired it to read “OCHO CINCO,” the NFL permitted only his legal name as spelled on his name change paperwork.
In 2009, he announced his intention to legally change his last name to “Hachi Go” in 2010, holding up a customized Cincinnati Bengals jersey with the last name “Hachi Go” on the back. However, he did not follow through with this name change. On January 25, 2011, he stated that he would revert to his original last name, Johnson. Yet, on June 30, 2011, citing financial reasons, he announced that he would keep his name as Chad Ochocinco. After joining the Miami Dolphins on July 23, 2012, he decided to legally change his name back to Chad Johnson at a Broward County courthouse, expressing a desire to reconnect with his former self.
FOX Sports
While working for FOX Sports Johnson co-works alongside:
Social Media Platform
Johnson is very active on his Twitter and Instagram pages. He has 3.1M followers on Twitter and 2.1M followers on Instagram.