Mark Curnutte reports that Chad Johnson has stated he's coming back as early as the mandatory camps beginning on June 12th according to an ESPN The Magazine story by...Chad Johnson, as guest editor of the edition that will hit stands tomorrow.
Quotes from the article are as follows:
"Am I coming back? Of course I am. I told my coaches I'm going to California to act, but the truth is I may come back to the Bengals as early as June...I may be crazy but I'm not stupid."
“If we want to be like Indy and New England, we have to pay for difference-makers on defense,” Johnson writes for ESPN the Magazine. “Our offense is fine. But if they’re fussing about paying me, a guy among the league’s best, you know damn well the Bengals aren’t (going to) give the defense what it needs. So I just said, `If we aren’t (going to) do what we need to do to win, can I please leave?’ It’s simple. I just told (them): `If y’all won’t change then I have to.’”
“Management told me I had a bad year. I was asked to stop being me. Okay, but how does that work? I am what some people would say is the face of Cincinnati,”
“If I can get out of Cincinnati, the sky’s the limit. What could I do in a place like Philadelphia or Dallas? It would be ridiculous. It’s (going to) be like a whole new me, like Ocho Cinco 2.0. Yeah, I like that. Ocho Cinco 2.0.”
From ESPN's report on the story, we get a few additional quotes:
"Look how well I've done while talking every week and calling people out and making things so hard on me with all this attention," Johnson said. "I've been thinking a lot lately about what I could do if I just played and didn't talk. Things would be a whole lot easier on me. And think of the numbers I could put up. Then what would people say about me?"
"It's the reinvention of Ocho Cinco," he says. "I'm dead serious. People need to take me as I am because I just don't give a [expletive] anymore. That's how I'd sum up my attitude for the next season."
This should come as no surprise to anyone. Chad tried hard to get out of town by kicking and screaming and it did not work. As a result, Chad painted himself into a corner (depicted perfectly by Jim Borgman). Now, Chad has to show up in order to get paid. If he's able to show up, keep his mouth shut, work hard and have a Kobe Bryant-like turnaround, many Bengal fans will forgive him and cheer. If he's a poor teammate and a distraction, PBS could be a hostile place on Sundays for Chad. Hopefully, he can do what he says above and just play.
Some other thoughts on the above quotes:
"If they're fussing about paying me, a guy among the league's best, you know damn well the Bengals aren't (going to) give the defense what it needs." This is the first time that Chad has directly admitted that it is about the money. He continually ignores the upfront money that the Bengals paid to him. His agent, Pig Vomit Drew Rosenhaus, had the following to say about the deal at the time it was signed just two years ago: "In terms of 'new money,' and just being unique from the standpoint of being able to do something for a player who still had four years left on his [existing] contract, it's really monumental," said agent Drew Rosenhaus. "As long as I've been doing this, I've never been able to get an extension like this, basically because of the time remaining on the contract. It's historical. And it's a testament to Chad, and how well he's performed, and to Bengals management for the way they have handled this and the commitment they've made to him."
Chad's statements that the sky is the limit if he could get out of Cincinnati are laughable. He really takes his situation for granted in having a top 5 QB throwing him the ball along with one of the best (if not the best) #2 receiver in the NFL.
"....I just don't give a [expletive] anymore. That's how I'd sum up my attitude for the next season." This is just flat out alarming. He's basically saying that he just doesn't care anymore.
All in all, as with any Chad tirade, there are very mixed signals. He says he's just going to be quiet and play ball and he says he just doesn't give a [expletive] anymore. How it plays out remains to be seen. Will we get a Kobe/Michael Strahan turnaround or a Terrell Owens distraction? Stay tuned...June 12th should be interesting.
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