Former NFL star Chad Johnson admits he wore FAKE jewelry and flew Spirit Airlines during his career in a bid to spend less money… and he says it saved him a huge 83 PERCENT of his $48MILLION career earnings!
Former NFL wide receiver Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson has admitted to wearing fake jewelry and flying Spirit Airlines in a bid to save money, as he confessed that staying on top of his finances saved 83 percent of his salary during his playing days.
‘Fly private? I ain’t flying private,’ the Bengals great said on Shannon Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast. ‘Put me on Spirit Exit row. Window seat. That’s all I need. As long as I get from point A to point B. I don’t need private.’
The 45-year-old earned a little over $48 million in his 11 NFL seasons during his time on the Bengals, Patriots and Dolphins between 2011 and 2012, according to Spotrac, although he insists that he never got carried away by materialistic items, like many professional athletes tend to once they reach the heights of fame and wealth.
Ex-Bengals receiver Chad Johnson advised today’s NFL players to look after their expenses
Johnson earned over $48 million in his 11 NFL seasons with the Bengals, Patriots and Dolphins
‘I never bought anything when I was playing. Never,’ Johnson further said. ‘What was the point? I went to Claire’s. For what? What am I doing it for? The women are going to deal with you anyway, because of who you are, and then the other women, who are really doing their homework Googled how much you make already.’
‘Why am I buying a $50,000 watch, $80,000 watch?,’ he continued, before adding: ‘I done saved 80 [to] 83 percent of my salary.’
Johnson then had a message to today’s players in the league: not to increase their spending if they receive better pay for their performances.
‘If you can get to a point in your career where your name becomes bigger than anything you can buy, there’s your value,’ said Johnson, who once legally changed his last name to ‘Ochocinco’ before switching it back to Johnson in 2012.
Johnson played 10 seasons for the Bengals before playing with Tom Brady at the Patriots
By choice, Johnson turned into one of those high-profile names who’d give rather lavish tips to waiters and waitresses. He also interacts with fans on his live Twitch stream, where he has 32,200 followers.
‘Everybody is caught up in an image and looking a certain way and being rich. It’s me. It’s pointless,’ the 2006 leader in receiving yards added. ‘You know how hard it is to live like that all the time, consistently, and be flying every day?’
Johnson was drafted as a second round pick by the Bengals in 2001. During his time in Cincinnati, ‘Ochocinco,’ which means ‘eight’ and ‘five’ in Spanish (Johnson wore No. 85 throughout his career), was named as an NFL first-team All-Pro three years in a row from 2004 to 2006.
He was also named a six-time Pro Bowler between 2003 and 2007 and in 2009.
Johnson spent the 2011 season with the Patriots and was on the Dolphins’ practice squad in 2012 before leaving the NFL for good. He played for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL before joining Fundidores de Monterrey for a single season in 2017.
Johnson ended his career with 766 receptions for 11,059 yards and 67 receiving touchdowns.
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