Chad Johnson honors Bengals fans as he basks in Ring of Honor glory
Chad Johnson holds many records in Cincinnati Bengals history. A quick search through the team record book will validate his place in the team's Ring of Honor all by itself. It's much harder to quantify how much he grew the Bengals brand, though it's impossible to separate that from his one-of-a-kind story. Johnson is almost […]
Chad Johnson holds many records in Cincinnati Bengals history. A quick search through the team record book will validate his place in the team's Ring of Honor all by itself. It's much harder to quantify how much he grew the Bengals brand, though it's impossible to separate that from his one-of-a-kind story.
Johnson is almost single-handily responsible for creating thousands upon thousands of new Bengals fans during the 2000s. His dominant play as a receiver combined his with flair and personality between snaps and after 66 touchdowns scored did the impossible.
Watching the Bengals was fun again. And he did it without the social media we know of existed.
It's only natural he still has the fans in the forefront of his mind.
"Cincinnati, the organization, the fans, they embraced me, my true authentic, organic self," Johnson said Thursday morning to reporters. "They didn’t want me to change. They allowed me to be myself. That to me is what means the most."
It's not like Johnson could change if he tried. The man who advocates for an all-McDonald's diet, who slept in Paul Brown Stadium as a young and unproven player, and changed his freakin' last name for the fun of it. All of it was part of the Ochocinco experience, and it captivated all who witnessed it.
The generational impact Johnson had simply can't be understated. He arrived as the Bengals were coming out of a decade-long depression. No one outside the I-275 beltway had any reason to care about the franchise and their losing aura.
The playful banter, touchdown dances, and toe-tapping sideline grabs gave the Bengals something interesting when they needed anything of the sort. Fans of all kinds gravitated towards it, and many have stuck around today to see a new generation take the baton.
The Ring of Honor has also become an important step for Bengals greats to take their names to Canton. Ken Riley will become the second player in franchise history to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month just two years after being an inaugural Ring of Honor inductee. Willie Anderson and Ken Anderson are on the doorstep to join him in the coming years following their own enshrinement in Paycor Stadium.
Being a receiver has put Johnson in a larger than life backlog for a gold jacket, but that possibility doesn't compare to the reality he's living now.
"To me, this honor means much more than getting a gold jacket, honestly," Johnson told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. "This is home. The fans understand the good times and the bad times, the ups and downs, and they accepted me as my true authentic self. This is a welcome home. You will always be a part of us, and this means a lot to me. A lot."
It's the least Cincinnati can do for Johnson, a personification of excitement that had no equal.
Bengals’ Super Bowl rematch just got a lot more special
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Featured image via © Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
