Where I once was an apologist, I must now admit that I came down on the wrong side: Chad Johnson needs to get out of here.
His latest statement, which indirectly was an insult to Carson Palmer, most assuredly confirms that CJ will never play for the Bengals again.
And that's fine. I'm not saying he's replaceable, but the division he's causing is impossible to ignore. It's not as if his antics actually made the team better, but they were tolerated when it came to his great talent. And his repeated cries that no one supported him was crap. He had people all over the place who had his back. So good luck to whatever team he plays for next. And unless he's going to New England or Indianapolis, he'll be catching footballs from an inferior quarterback.
My new concern is how the Bengals treat this situation. I get sick of players who make these statements and screw over their former teams in an effort to get out of town [see: Corey Dillon and Randy Moss]. I would fully support Mike Brown if he let him rot on the bench. Chad won't get paid when he sits out, the Bengals won't take the huge salary cap hit, and teams will have to make serious offers in order to get him out of here. Unless there's a first round pick being offered, Chad can hang out in his condo.
And to think I was this close to buying a number 85 jersey last year. Good thing I didn't.