Bengals legend Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson gives advice to prospects in 2025 draft class

USA Today

20-03-2025

Bengals legend Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson gives advice to prospects in 2025 draft class
This week, Touchdown Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Cincinnati Bengals legend and retired NFL wide receiver Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson at the Whitney Museum in New York City during his panel appearance for eMLS CUP 2025.
During his interview with Easton Jr., Johnson shared valuable advice for the talented crop of wide receiver prospects in the 2025 NFL draft class, and gave his opinion on touchdown celebrations in the league today.
"Focus on your craft and not your brand because of social media right now; everybody wants to create this brand, and, you know, without working on the craft, but if you're good at your craft, the brand can create itself," Johnson advised. "So everybody's getting lost and worrying about a brand deal. Take care of everything if you're that boy on the field. Social media is somewhat of a drug, in a sense. You have to be seen focusing on your craft. I haven't played football in 13-14 years, and that brand of mine is still just as strong as if I had just played yesterday, but I was great at what I did on the field. So you take care of that part. The rest is carrying itself. The name is carrying itself. I ain't caught the ball in years."
The six-time Pro Bowler spoke on Major League Soccer's GAME ON: Next-Gen Fandom panel, which featured thought leaders, industry disruptors, and Gen Z voices. The panel explored the evolution of sports consumption, the influences of gaming, hip-hop, digital art, and sneaker culture, and how authenticity in the digital age is essential for audience engagement.
"There's another example of how sports expands and transcends boundaries and athletes today," said MLS Executive Vice President and Chief Engagement Officer Sola Winley. "They resonate, and so you look for heroes, right, people that can transcend teams, since athletes are moving around, and people feel connected to athletes and individuals and want to know what they're doing in their life. So Chad [Johnson is] out here today, hanging out with us and enjoying some Major League Soccer."
Johnson enjoyed pushing the boundaries of how he could celebrate touchdowns during his successful football career, and he chimed in strongly on the freedom players have today with their ideas.
"That's what made it so fun, the fact that you couldn't do it," Johnson explained. "So, [we] always [found] loopholes around it. Today, they let everybody celebrate, but nobody's pushing the [expletive] envelope. Push the envelope. I would push it. Listen, if I was playing today and you're allowed to celebrate, I'm pulling the fan out of the stands or some [expletive] that hadn't been done before. We can celebrate as a group. I would integrate. Listen, the game of football is all about fan interaction. I would take that to the next level: fan engagement. I'll pull somebody out of the stands so fast. Can you imagine?"
"We've seen it. No matter what you do, the stuff I did was authentic. It was one of one. It's organic, not everything you see now. We've seen that before," said Johnson in his evaluation of today's NFL celebrations. "Doing the Temptations and the Five Heartbeats are doing stuff that we've already seen, whether through TV media. I would push the envelope. Do something not in the rule book and force them to make a rule."