He changed his name, twice. He has Sportscenter Top 10s based only on him. He can get McDonald’s at Wal-Mart 24/7. He has more Twitter followers than people living in Jamaica. Chad Johnson is the coolest football player on Earth.
With all this swagger and celebrity personality, what exactly does Chad Johnson bring to the Montreal Alouettes in his first year in the CFL, can he bring just his popularity or his once world-class skill at wide receiver too?
With 3.65 million followers on the large media site, Twitter, Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) is the most followed football player, active or not-actively playing. He is ahead of Reggie Brush by 770 000 followers and has 1 100 000 more followers than the extremely popular left handed idle quarterback Tim Tebow. Clearly this guy is loved around the world, not just by football fans. However his reign being on top of Twitter sports world ends there as European footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) has 26.4 million people following him, most for any athlete.
Nonetheless, Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, but changed his last name back to Johnson because of a sour reputation, has already shared thoughts on Canadian culture through Twitter.
Some of his tweets include
• “#NHL15Subban” in support of PK Subbans bid to be on the cover of NHL 15
• “Wow they have McDonald’s inside of the Wal-Mart out here in Sherbrooke… I can eat and shop at the same time. #SoCool”
• “PK they have McDonald’s in Walmart, so cool man. RT @PKSubban1: Welcome to La Belle Province! … Thanks for the love!”
• “Atmosphere (at Bell Center) is crazy, a tad bit different from Panthers game I attend…”
He also has conversations on the social network with many fans in Canada about his first few days in the country
In the past few seasons, the CFL and the Montreal Alouettes in particular have been adding former NFLers or college stars to their rosters, some for popularity, and some for skill.
Playing for the Alouettes, Troy Smith, 2006 Heisman winner and Duron Carter, son of NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter, have been added and used solely for their skill. They were extremely valuable in the teams late season success despite key losses of injured players Anthony Calvillo and Jamaal Richardson.
However, there still has been some questionable additions, or near additions of famous football players, for only media attention.
When the 2007 Heisman winner, Tebow was released by the New England Patriots following NFL training camp in 2013, his 3rd team in 4 NFL seasons, there were rumours he would sign in Montreal. The Alouettes added fuel to the fire of speculation by informing the fan base and media that they hold Tebow’s CFL rights. The team made news in the States and amongst NFL fans, clearly getting their name out there from a simple gesture.
This time, with the 6 =-time NFL Pro Bowler donning the blue-white-red of the Als, it should be very different than Tebow and similar to Smith and Carter. Clearly, Johnson is past his prime, which was about the 2003-2007 seasons, playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. But the 36-year-old is motivated this time around, to get back to his old self, when he was one of the most exciting WRs in the NFL to watch.
“I needed that second chance. I needed to reinvent myself… Montreal has embraced me and allowed me to get a second chance. It’s my time to somewhat prove myself again, because what I’ve done in the past really doesn’t matter.” He said at his first press conference in Montreal, which he showed up to late, only to make excuses.
If he complies with his commitment, Johnson will add a certain value to the league, to his team and more importantly, bring a new level of excitement for the fans. He is known for ridiculous touchdown celebrations and he should have a new arsenal of dances being in a brand new culture. Maybe he will take a page out of Terrell Owens playbook by eating a fans food after a touchdown… But this time, the Quebec famous poutine.
Whatever bag of tricks or amazing plays he brings north of the border, he will still be largely followed by NFL media and fans, therefore a ton more people will hear about the Canadian Football League this summer.
The name and brand of the league may just change because of this one player, Chad Johnson. Number 85. On the Montreal Alouettes. Get used to that, fans. He’s in “Our League” now.
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