Will Chad Ochocinco’s Pre-Game Trash Talk Lead To Name Change?
Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Chad Ochocinco is one of the best trash talkers in the NFL, and has build up a strong following on Twitter while using the social media to pull back the curtain.
This week, he was matched up with New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, and the trash talk reached a new level – that could lead to a name change.
It started on Twitter, where Revis also has an account, and the two friends tweeted back and forth about “Revis Island” and “Ocho Cinco World.” Later, Ochocinco gave what “may have been the greatest midweek opposing player conference call in NFL history,” according to NFL Fanhouse, where he fed the media such red meat as, “Darrelle Revis couldn’t cover me in a brown paper bag on the corner of a Manhattan street in a phone booth.”
But it was just before gametime that NBC aired an interview between Bob Costas and Ochocinco. “Trying to stop it live is impossible,” said the wide out, continuing the trash talk. But Costas asked what he would do if somehow Revis did stop him. “If Revis shuts me down I would change my name back to Johnson,” he said (in 2008 he changed his name from Johnson to Ochocinco).
Well guess what happened: Ochocinco, who injured his knee in pregame warm-ups, had zero catches, after playing the first half. It was his first game all year, and in the last 120 games, he didn’t have a catch. Whatever the circumstances, he had been shut down. CNBC correspondent Darren Rovell helpfully tweeted Ochocinco the name change form last night.
So would he do it? This morning he tweeted “congrats to all Jets players n fans.” And last night and this morning, there were two direct tweets to Revis:
hands down u the best in the game, see you n 6 days bruh bruh, try giving out maps next time-its easy to get lost on that island!
you’ve hurt my feelings shutting down my ENTERPRISE-ill be the first to say you’re the best easily-round 2 Saturday- CHAD JOHNSON
It sounds like he’ll stick to what he told Costas – and next week, when the Jets and Bengals meet up again, it may be “Chad Johnson” who will be the one trash talking. The Jets won last night, and whoever wins next week will advance further in the playoffs. But Ochocinco wins for a different reason – as he continues to expand the use of Twitter and other new media (he’s a Ustream user as well), he gives fans another perspective to get closer to the game. Likewise, he opens the door for more players to follow suit. And now he finds another side to all the access – accountability.
Here’s a look at some of the trash talk earlier this week:
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