Chad Johnson Admits Immaturity, Talks Redemption on 'Hard Knocks'
Chad Johnson may have been cut from the Miami Dolphins after allegedly headbutting estranged wife Evelyn Lozada last month, but the free agent NFL player appeared with the team on HBO's "Hard Knocks" season finale to admit his mistakes and speak about his future in the NFL.
Johnson, 34-year-old wide receiver, appeared on the Aug. 14 episode of "Hard Knocks" where the world was able to view him being terminated from the Dolphins. Three weeks later, HBO filmed Johnson on the NFL comeback trail where he was shown working out at a beach and a boxing gym.
After one of his training sessions, Johnson admitted that he messed up the opportunity with his hometown Miami Dolphins.
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"The Dolphins, I let them down," Johnson said on the sports documentary show. "I messed up. I got to suffer the consequences -- I made that bed, I got to lay in it. So basically, I got to start all over."
When asked how he had reached the point where he lost a spot on his hometown NFL team Johnson admitted that he was immature.
"Somewhere along the way I lost focus. I lost something that I love -- I lost two things that I love because of my immature actions," said Johnson, whose nickname is Ochocinco. "I'm gonna get both of those back one step at a time."
While Johnson admitted that he may not be a favorite among spectators, he acknowledged that all humans make mistakes.
"I'm sure some opinions, some views on me might've changed because of the events that've happened but all I can do is say sorry," Johnson said. "I'm human and … I just gotta come back a little stronger."
Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin fired Johnson on "Hard Knocks" last month and spoke about feeling sorry for the wideout to NFL Network's Albert Breer recently.
"I felt bad for [Johnson], he didn't want that out there necessarily. But, for example, we'd released Derek Dennis from Temple earlier, and that was in front of the cameras," Philbin said of his decision to fire Johnson on T.V. "I just didn't feel like it was right to treat Chad any different than someone like Derek Dennis. If you're going to do it in front of the cameras with other guys, you gotta do it with him. I just felt like it was the right thing to do, but it wasn't easy."
Despite his very public termination, Johnson said he knew that going through his ordeal would make him a better asset for any other team that decided to pick him up.
"I know what I want to do. I know what somebody will get if I'm able to get that chance again, especially after getting knocked down like that," Johnson said before endorsing himself on the season finale of "Hard Knocks" Tuesday. "Chad Johnson. That f--r is good."
