Chad Johnson’s fitting in well in Montreal—except for those pesky parking tickets

When former NFL star Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson first started talking about trying the CFL after a couple of years out of football earlier this offseason, the potential for it to work out poorly seemed high. After all, Johnson turned 36 in January, was headed to a team incredibly deep at receiver, was anything but used to being a depth player, had to learn the Canadian game from scratch and had been known for problematic behaviour on and off the field. So far, though, he's mostly fit in wellwith the team and with media and fans. Fitting in in Montreal can be a little more challenging, though, especially for someone who doesn't speak French. Johnson says that's what's led to him piling up 15 parking tickets. Here's a photo of those he tweeted Monday:

So, what has Johnson done about his parking ticket issues? Tweet the mayor, of course:

So, yeah, that happened. While trying to set up his meeting, too, Johnson elected to take the subway to practice, which led to further adventures:

Taking to Twitter isn't an unusual approach for Johnson, who's used the social media service for everything from finding food recommendations to setting up Xbox games of FIFA against fans. As he told TSN's Milt Stegall in an interview aired this week, Twitter's even what led him to the CFL:

"Literally everything in my life has started on Twitter. I was playing around with the fact I wanted to play again. I followed Jim Popp and told him I was serious about it; he told me come down to Vero Beach where we're having our minicamp. I went down there and had some fun. I was surprised at the talent."

Johnson said it wasn't money that led him to get back into football, but his competitive drive. "It's not about the money. I don't need the money," he said. "I missed the competing more than anything."

Johnson said concerns about his on-field behaviour from his NFL days are overhyped. "What you saw in between the lines was a persona, for entertainment purposes only," he said.

Johnson has been in real off-field trouble, though, being arrested in 2012 on domestic battery charges. He pled no contest and received a year's probation, but was later sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating his probation. While those charges are serious and problematic, Johnson told Stegall the experiences he's had have built him into who he is, and he wouldn't change the punishments he received (or anything else about his life to date).

"I don't want to change," he said. "Whatever I went through, I needed to go through."

Many are curious what Johnson's long-term goal is; to try and get back to the NFL? To play in the CFL for a few years? To use this to promote something else? He didn't exactly specify what his future plans are, but he did tell Stegall he wants to enjoy where he is and what he's doing now.

"I want to end my relationship with Montreal on good terms and enjoy everything Montreal and the CFL has to offer."

The city may be much more enjoyable for him if he can figure out how to avoid those parking tickets, though...