Chad Johnson claims in an interview that he was humiliated by his 2008 season, one that saw him fall from Pro Bowl form to essential irrelevance:
“Last year was very humbling for me; it was an embarrassment,” [Johnson], who intends to return for Cincinnati‘s mandatory minicamp June 18-20, told the NFL Network. “It’s not just for myself, but for the rest of the city and the team. So before I go back, I want to be in just unbelievable form before I even touch the green grass.”
[Johnson], 31, looked crisp doing sparring and running passing routes in the video piece aired Tuesday night on the NFL Network. He received a lot of heat from the Bengals and quarterback Carson Palmer for not taking part in the team’s offseason workouts.
Call me cynical, but I can’t see this as anything but a ploy on Johnson’s part to get back in the good graces of Cincy fans, now that he’s resigned himself to the reality that he will not be traded no matter how much baloney he pulls. I personally think Johnson is done as a big-time NFL player, and I also think Cincy is done with him. Psychologically, the Bengals, and Palmer, have moved on from Johnson; it doesn’t matter a lick to them if the guy shows up or not. I bet the Bengals would not be the least bit upset if Johnson just packed it in and retired to begin his new career as a reality TV freak. Not that this would help the Bengals at all. They will suck with or without Ochodoucho.
Tags: carson palmer, chad johnson, cincinnati bengals
