Huit-cinq est ici! Chad Johnson shows up to Alouettes’ rookie camp after McDonald’s lunch, tweets with P.K. Subban, reporters
Get your poutine-flavoured popcorn ready, because we're one step closer to seeing former NFL star Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson actually suit up in a CFL game. Johnson hasn't played high-level football since he was cut by the Miami Dolphins in preseason camp in 2012 (following a domestic battery arrest), but he trained hard (with fellow former NFLer and current ESPN analyst Cris Carter) for a free-agent camp opportunity with the Montreal Alouettes and earned a contract with the team. There were still questions about if Johnson would actually make it to the CFL, especially considering the visa issues some players with criminal records have had, but he was able to earn a Canadian work visa, and he showed up to the Alouettes' rookie camp Wednesday at Bishop's University in Sherbrooke (albeit a couple of hours late thanks to having lunch at McDonald's.) Johnson's Twitter commentary on the whole thing is pretty hilarious, including his discovery of a McDonald's inside a Walmart, his complaints about the weather, his official welcome from Montreal Canadiens' star P.K. Subban, and his adoption of both poutine and Canadiens' trash-talk (language warning):
Wow they have McDonald's inside of the Walmart out here in Sherbrooke... I can eat and shop at the same time. #SoCool
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 28, 2014
PK they have McDonald's in Walmart, so cool man. RT @PKSubban1: Welcome to La Belle Province! #habsnation #NHL15Subban Thanks for the love! — Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 28, 2014
It's 40 degrees I believe, I'm losing my tan already. I must remain blue black. RT @ShaneJeffery: @ochocinco welcome to Canada
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 28, 2014
@ochocinco yup haha get the @BGALLY17 burger! Heard it's the #BOMB #NHL15Subban pic.twitter.com/FJYdOWIpL5 — P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) May 28, 2014
They had a McDonald's in there, I was in a happy place. RT @Boutchy5: Just saw @ochocinco at Wallmart..To shy to talk to him...:-)
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 28, 2014
They had a McDonald's in there, I was in a happy place. RT @Boutchy5: Just saw @ochocinco at Wallmart..To shy to talk to him...:-) — Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 28, 2014
I was at McDonald's eating lunch RT @RickMoffat: #Ochocinco late for 1st news Conf. Not expected to hit field til Sunday. #CFL
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 28, 2014
I love you Arash RT @ArashMadani: Perfect. RT @ochocinco: I was at McDonald's eating lunch RT @RickMoffat: #Ochocinco late for 1st news Conf — Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 28, 2014
My apologies RT @ArashMadani: You'll love Bishop's University much more, Believe me on that. #RaiseAToast RT @ochocinco: I love you Arash.
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 28, 2014
Lol RT @ArashMadani: No need to apologize, man. The only thing you'll be sorry about is what the Bishop's dining hall will do to your bowels — Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 28, 2014
Say it in my face, I'll feed you poutine #habsbitch RT @Dpali5: piece of shit, all of sudden your a #habs fan #NHL15Bergeron #bruinsbitch
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 28, 2014
So, yeah, this is going to be quite the experience. (Johnson's already doing a much better job on Twitter than the guy he's arguably replacing, though.) There's still a ways to go before he suits up in a preseason or regular-season game (if we even get to games on time, not a certainty given the ongoing CBA dispute and strike vote), of course, and the Alouettes' crowded receiving corps won't be the easiest to crack, especially for a 36-year-old who hasn't played high-level football in a couple of years. At his peak, though, Johnson was one of the NFL's top receivers; we'll see what he has left, but it's certainly quite possible he could prove to be a valuable player for the Alouettes, and maybe he'll even follow in the footsteps of that other NFL star named Johnson who played for Montreal. At any rate, his time in Canada will be entertaining.