In the weeks leading up to the start of this year’s NFL season, it was only a matter of time before Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson, worried about attention being focused elsewhere, did or said something stupid in order to force themselves back into the media spotlight.
This time it was Chad Johnson with the doing and Terrell Owens with the saying.
Most people are familiar with the antics of Mr. Owens, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, and Mr. Johnson, playing in the same position for the Cincinnati Bengals. If it’s not post-touchdown celebrations on the field driving the coaches wild, it’s incendiary remarks and actions off it that get their teams into hot water.
Terrell Owens has the more extensive rap-sheet of the pair. His touchdown celebrations include, but are not limited to: mimicking other teams’ signature celebrations (numerous occasions), dancing in the Dallas Cowboy’s star logo at center field, pulling a pen out of his sock and autographing the football before handing it to his agent, mocking Bill Belichik after the Spygate scandal by pretending to operate a video camera, doing sit-ups in the end zone and taking a nap, using the football as a pillow.
The latest stunt to give the Cowboys an all-too-familiar 15 yard “excessive celebration” penalty this weekend was Owens pretending to be an Olympic sprinter at the starting blocks after scoring a 35 yard touchdown against the Cleveland Browns. This stemmed from his comments earlier in the week that if he were competing in the 100m dash at the Olympics he would not finish in last place.
This is pretty insulting for most Olympic sprinters. I think Owens realized this (or maybe the fact that he would get his ass handed to him) and changed tack slightly, saying that given a 20 yard head start he could beat Usain Bolt, the Jamaican world record holder, in a 100m race. Now I would love to say that this is a ridiculous claim since it will never be tested, but given Bolt’s similar penchant for flamboyant victory celebrations I wouldn’t be surprised if this contest actually took place. I can’t believe I’m writing that.
Not to be outdone in the ego stakes, Chad Johnson, whose touchdown celebrations have included proposing to random cheerleaders, hijacking television cameras and impersonating Michael Flatley, decided that he would get his own back on Carson Palmer and Marvin Lewis, quarterback and coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.
The pair have refused to call Johnson by his nickname “Ocho Cinco” (based on his jersey number 85), so the wacky wideout decided to change his legal name to…. yes, you’ve guessed it: Ocho Cinco. He is now legally called “Chad Javon Ocho Cinco”.
It’s difficult (and somewhat ridiculous) trying to read sensible sports reports on the Cincinnati Bengals that now refer to the former Chad Johnson by his new name, as they and the NFL are obliged to. Unfortunately for Mr. Ocho Cinco, he forgot his contractual obligations with Reebok (er… Chad, what about all those jerseys we printed?) and so the name change was spoiled slightly – O.C. was not sporting a new jersey in Week One.
Perhaps it was for the best. Although he now has at least one catch in 93 straight games, Ocho Cinco was held to much less than 85 yards – 22 in fact, and made only one reception in the loss to the Ravens.
So what does all this mean for the game of football? Not much, in my opinion! The fans love it or love to hate it, opposing teams most definitely hate it and it all just adds more spice to the game. So long as Owens can keep paying the fines and the Cowboys can keep overcoming 15 yard penalties, maybe we’ll eventually even see that race.