Chad Johnson wanted to help the Browns receivers. And then he quickly lost interest. Or something.
Johnson, as previously noted, already is gone. Coach Hue Jackson has left the door open for a return.
“Chad hasn’t been here lately,” Jackson told reporters on Monday. “As I said, Chad came down. I think everybody thought he was going to be here the whole time. I knew he wasn’t. Chad came as a guest of mine. I wanted him to see what this is going to be like. I knew at some point in time Chad needed to go do what Chad needed to do. I think his time here was very beneficial because guys were able to ask him questions about playing in the National Football League – what were the characteristics that the great players carry and what they were like. I think guys asked him those questions. It was good for me to have him around. Chad is very close to me as we all know. At the same time, I think he found out that this business is rough. There are a lot of hours that we keep, and I don’t think Chad’s used to that.”
Jackson said Johnson “possibly come back from time to time,” and Jackson had no issue that Johnson left.
“There were some things he needed to do. I told him go do what you need to do. He has some kids and he has some other things that he needs to take care of. I wanted to make sure he had an opportunity to do that,” Jackson said.
Johnson was under no obligation to stay. But it’s hard to imagine him becoming a coach unless he’s willing to embrace the hours. Maybe Jackson wanted Johnson to come to that conclusion on his own. If so, Johnson apparently came to that conclusion quickly.