No one believed Chad Johnson when he said he would legally change his name to reflect his nickname, “Ocho Cinco.” But that’s just what he did last summer, in an attempt to wear the name on his uniform. The NFL balked, saying he’d have to pay for the already-made Johnson jerseys. Well, no more is he shackled to his human name.
The NFL finally agreed this week to let him put his new name on the back of his uniform. And therein lies hilarity. He’s only allowed to wear his legal name, and his legal name isn’t “Ocho Cinco.” It seems when Chad filled out the paperwork to change his name, he didn’t get it quite how he wanted.
The former Chad Johnson is now Chad Ochocinco. That’s right, Ochocinco is one word. Um, name. No space, no capitalization. So when he dons his Bengals jersey this season, the name on the back will read: OCHOCINCO. Which kind of looks like it should be a Japanese chocolate company.
“It’s his legal name,” AFC information manager Corry Rush said with what I can only infer was a resigned sigh. What makes it even more official is that Chad Ochocinco now has his own Wikipedia page.
And don’t think for a second the NFL isn’t enforcing this typo to stick it to him.
HBO’s Hard Knocks is shaping up to be the greatest thing ever put on television. And here’s hoping that once Cincinnati decides to, er, ochenta y seis him, he winds up in either Detroit or St. Louis, where the number 85 is retired.
3:39 pm on May 16th, 2009
I think most would agree that this whole number/name thing with Chad is about as assinine as it gets. But, what really makes it beyond estupido is that the proper way to say eighty-five in Spanish is ochenta y cinco. I think Chad should have put "numero dos" on his back because his brain is clearly made of number 2.
4:39 pm on May 16th, 2009
Why is this news?
6:57 pm on May 16th, 2009
Somewhere, probably in an unemployement line near you, "He Hate Me" is having a chuckle.
1:43 am on May 17th, 2009
Strunzo…his nickname is ocho cinco. eight five. Yes, it's not technically '85', but that's just what it is. don't get me wrong…I think this whole thing is stupid. but keeping that in mind, let's try not to take it so seriously, k?
8:46 am on May 17th, 2009
He should change his name to:
Inevergotenoughmummydaddylovesolookatmelookatmepayattentiontome
11:01 am on May 18th, 2009
MalikTarrant,It's "stronzo", not "strunzo", if you meant the word for a turd AND for somebody with Mr 85's brain.He will probably enter the Guinness book of records for1) Choosing to change his name into a number ("Thanks Mum and Dad for giving me a useless, common name!");2) Choosing a number in a foreign language he does not speak ("What's the point of learning a foreign language?"); 3) Getting the number wrong ("Ocho Cinco … Ochenta y cinco … it's all Spanish to me!");4) Not learning how to WRITE his new, beloved, sought after name;5) Losing some money in the above process (at least, that's what he deserves).
11:56 am on May 18th, 2009
Chad did not get the name wrong. He did not intend for it to be eighty-five in Spanish. He intended it to be eight, then five. Have you ever heard him talk about himself as the number? He has said No. eight five on numerous occasions. Other athletes refer to themselves like that all the time. Rather than say twenty-four, they say number two-four. Chad Ochocinco is not the idiot who created that useless convention.