The NFL career of Chad Johnson was a wild ride, and during it, he did something that few, if any, other NFL players did. He changed his name.
Yes, ahead of the 2008 season and officially for the 2009 season, Chad Johnson became known as “Chad Ochocinco.” The move was both surprising, given that his Ochocinco moniker was just a nickname before his move, and completely unsurprising when considering the antics that the fun-loving, pot-stirring Johnson used to participate in during his NFL days.
But then, back in 2012, after a handful of years as Ochocinco, Johnson changed his last name again and is again known as “Chad Johnson.” This time, however, he kept Ochocinco around as a middle name.
Ahead of Chad Johnson’s fight against Brian Maxwell, many will be asking questions about what led Johnson to change his name twice. Sporting News has you covered with the answers that Johnson has given about the topic over the past 15 years.
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Why did Chad Johnson change his name to Chad Ochocinco?
Chad Johnson became Chad Ochocinco because of his jersey No. 85. During Hispanic Heritage Month in 2006, he announced that he wanted to change his birth name to Ochocinco to honor that number (though it should be noted that “ochenta y cinco” is Spanish for 85; “ocho” is eight and “cinco” is five).
This came after he had worn a velcro nameplate over his jersey that read “Ochocinco” before a game, only to have Carson Palmer rip it off and…
