Longtime NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson took in Lions practice on Friday, and fatherhood had more to do with it than the prospect of imminent employment, per multiple reports.
As it turns out, Johnson’s daughter is participating in the AAU Junior Olympics at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, which is a little more than 20 miles from Lions camp in Allen Park.
According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Johnson said he would welcome another NFL shot, but that he was “enjoying being a full-time dad right now. I’m in ridiculous shape. I’m sure the world knows that. I train like a mad man, but I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”
When asked if he believed his 2012 domestic violence arrest was keeping teams from bringing him in, Johnson said, per the Free Press: “No. Probably not even that. I haven’t played competitive football in maybe almost two years? Or maybe a year. You take the Dolphins, but then not having the success in New England maybe — I don’t know. Who knows?
“Maybe the name, the stuff that comes with the name itself, and maybe people, ‘Is he worth a chance?’ Who knows? The distraction. I don’t know.”
Sums up the situation perfectly, doesn’t it?