Chad Johnson is no more. It’s officially Chad Ocho Cinco in the NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals announced Thursday that they have begun “the process of listing the former Chad Johnson as Chad Ocho Cinco for all club business, per the legal change of his surname effected in Florida.
“The list of appropriate changes will include Ocho Cinco wearing his new surname on the back of his jersey for Sunday’s season opener at Baltimore.”
Ocho Cinco officially changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco in Broward County, Fla., last week. The league had not changed his name on its Web site or the team’s Web site.
Two years ago, Johnson gave himself the moniker in reference to his uniform number 85 — Ocho Cinco means “eight five” in Spanish — and put it on the back of his uniform before a game. Quarterback Carson Palmer ripped it off before the kickoff. After the season, coach Marvin Lewis — who dislikes Johnson’s attention-getting stunts — referred to the receiver as “Ocho Psycho.”
The receiver asked the media to start calling him by his new name this week. The Bengals couldn’t change the name on his uniform until the NFL gave permission.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
