Ocho Cinco Makes Reporter Cry (Not Literally)

By Chris Mottram
Allow me to break down the way your average sports reporter seems to think: Athlete won’t talk to me + Athlete once argued with teammate = Athlete is a bad teammate and an all-around horrible person. I shall write as much because I’m sad, bitter and angry -- mostly with myself -- but also with that athlete who shunned me. He owes me that interview!
See, (almost) every fan loves Chad Johnson, yet (almost) every reporter seems to dislike him. This disconnect between reporters and fans just continues to grow larger. And it’s beyond sad. It’s just laughable.
[img=http://i.tsn.com/i/photos/20080208/86428.jpg]
Who is that creepy dude in the shades?
Example #18,379 (but who’s counting?) of this occurred in a FOX Sports article last night by someone named Alex Marvez. See, Marvez is upset because Johnson wouldn’t talk to him after Pro Bowl practice yesterday. And you know what? Johnson argued on field with Palmer a couple times this season. Conclusion: Chad Johnson is no longer fun-loving and has turned into T.O. circa 2005.
To be fair, Marvez claims that Johnson “shoved” a NFL media relations guy right after refusing to answer Mavex’s questions. I’ll give Ocho the benefit of the doubt, and assume it was not a “threat of violence” -- as Marvez wrote that it was -- seeing as it was written by a reporter who was just blown off by Johnson seconds before. But I wasn’t there.
Anyway, back to the original point, here’s what Marvez wrote about Chad:
“Unprofessional behavior? Absolutely. But at this point, you wouldn’t expect anything else. Johnson opened the 2007 season with another humorous end-zone celebration. ... By the end of the year, no one was laughing.”
What you mean, Alex, is that you weren’t laughing. Fans, in fact, were still infatuated with the guy. But Marvez wasn’t finished yet. This was really the part that made me spit up my coffee (emphasis mine):
“Johnson’s fun-loving image began taking hits in an early October loss to New England. He continued to argue with quarterback Carson Palmer long after miscommunication on a route that resulted in a Patriots interception. During future games, Johnson sometimes alternated between sulking and becoming demonstrative when unable to connect with Palmer. This may have contributed to Palmer posting his lowest quarterback rating (86.7) in three seasons.”
Thank you Alex Marvez. You have cracked the case! The reason Palmer was a fantasy bust this year is because Chad Johnson was “sulking” and -- dare I say? -- “demonstrative.”
Plus, Johnson’s horrible season probably didn’t help matters. Oh, what’s that? He had possibly his best season ever, and set a franchise record by racking up over 1,400(!) receiving yards? Damn. So much for that argument. Let’s go with that “Johnson is a horrible teammate (and won’t talk to reporters!)” angle.
> Johnson Still Making News for Wrong Reasons | FOX Sports↵