CINCINNATI -- Bengals fans definitely like Chad Johnson on the field.
Cincinnati hasn't seen hands, speed and confidence like his in years -- and the team's winning. It doesn't get much better, but it does with Chad. As if touchdowns weren't enough, he's great entertainment, and he's not shy about telling it like it is.
So when News 5's Sheree Paolello went to his Walnut Hills home, she said she thought she knew all there was to know about Chad, and it didn't exactly surprise her that on every wall, he keeps an enormous picture of himself. In fact, the condo is filled with memorabilia depicting Chad -- figurines, trophies and pictures.
Paolello: "If people didn't really know you, I'd be like, 'This guy has a big head.' So, what is this for you?"
Chad: "Motivation, all motivation. Pro Bowl pictures. Thinking picture. Pepto-Bismol, to never do it again. I got to remember where I came from in order to know where I'm going."
Watch closely before the next kick-off. He repeats that saying before every game: "Remember how I got here in order to remember where I'm going."
Chad grew up in Miami, and there wasn't the flashiness that he sports now -- no fancy cars, no flashy houses.
Chad: "We wasn't broke. But we weren't living like the Joneses."
Paolello: "Like the Johnsons."
Chad: "Like the Johnsons."
Home didn't consist of mom and dad, though. Chad's mom lived in California; he grew up with his grandma.
Chad: "Everything you see, everything I do -- my excitement, my fun, my personality, my character -- it all stems from her. Everything."
It had to, because his dad wasn't around, either.
Chad: "He wasn't there for what really all of my life until last year. Last year when the season ended, I finally found out who he was."
Paolello: "Well that's convenient, to come around when you're a superstar. Are you angry?"
Chad: "For what? There's no time to be angry. Everybody has choices. He made the choice not to be in my life throughout that time. There's nothing I can do about it now."
Chad has made choices, too. There was a time when he was getting into trouble -- nothing serious -- and without his grandmother's guidance, he would have thrown his talent away.
Chad: "She used to say the same thing all the time. 'Baby, school first, football second.' You're talent is not going to carry you all the way through."
He said he never forgets where he came from.
Chad: "If you weren't part of my circle growing up, you can't enter that circle now."
And despite how he acts on the field, Chad isn't that full of himself.
Chad: "I'm good but I'm not great. So much more I can do to help my team out. I haven't reached my potential to maximize it. Not even close."
Paolello: "Like what, what's one weakness?"
Chad: "I can't tell you that on camera."
There are still lots of things Chad wants.
Paolello: "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Chad: "No."
Paolello: "Seriously?"
Chad: "Seriously."
Paolello: "All the girls out there are going to want to know -- the tough questions."
Chad: "I don't. I'm looking for somebody. I'm lonely."
Paolello had some easier questions about food.
Palello: "Do you like Skyline?"
Chad: "Yeah. I like McDonald's, though."
Paolello: "What about Graeters ice cream?"
Chad: "What's that? I eat my ice cream from McDonald's."
He also likes living in Cincinnati and playing for Marvin Lewis, whom he ranks among his other mentors -- his grandma and Oprah Winfrey.
Paolello: "If you could retire here, would you?"
Chad: "Uh-huh."
Paolello: "Why?"
Chad: "You always want to finish where you started."
Chad promised to keep Bengals fans cheering and laughing as long as possible.
Chad: "That's what I play for. I'm playing for you all. I'm playing for y'all."
Cincinnati hasn't seen hands, speed and confidence like his in years -- and the team's winning. It doesn't get much better, but it does with Chad. As if touchdowns weren't enough, he's great entertainment, and he's not shy about telling it like it is.
So when News 5's Sheree Paolello went to his Walnut Hills home, she said she thought she knew all there was to know about Chad, and it didn't exactly surprise her that on every wall, he keeps an enormous picture of himself. In fact, the condo is filled with memorabilia depicting Chad -- figurines, trophies and pictures.
Paolello: "If people didn't really know you, I'd be like, 'This guy has a big head.' So, what is this for you?"
Chad: "Motivation, all motivation. Pro Bowl pictures. Thinking picture. Pepto-Bismol, to never do it again. I got to remember where I came from in order to know where I'm going."
Watch closely before the next kick-off. He repeats that saying before every game: "Remember how I got here in order to remember where I'm going."
Chad grew up in Miami, and there wasn't the flashiness that he sports now -- no fancy cars, no flashy houses.
Chad: "We wasn't broke. But we weren't living like the Joneses."
Paolello: "Like the Johnsons."
Chad: "Like the Johnsons."
Home didn't consist of mom and dad, though. Chad's mom lived in California; he grew up with his grandma.
Chad: "Everything you see, everything I do -- my excitement, my fun, my personality, my character -- it all stems from her. Everything."
It had to, because his dad wasn't around, either.
Chad: "He wasn't there for what really all of my life until last year. Last year when the season ended, I finally found out who he was."
Paolello: "Well that's convenient, to come around when you're a superstar. Are you angry?"
Chad: "For what? There's no time to be angry. Everybody has choices. He made the choice not to be in my life throughout that time. There's nothing I can do about it now."
Chad has made choices, too. There was a time when he was getting into trouble -- nothing serious -- and without his grandmother's guidance, he would have thrown his talent away.
Chad: "She used to say the same thing all the time. 'Baby, school first, football second.' You're talent is not going to carry you all the way through."
He said he never forgets where he came from.
Chad: "If you weren't part of my circle growing up, you can't enter that circle now."
And despite how he acts on the field, Chad isn't that full of himself.
Chad: "I'm good but I'm not great. So much more I can do to help my team out. I haven't reached my potential to maximize it. Not even close."
Paolello: "Like what, what's one weakness?"
Chad: "I can't tell you that on camera."
There are still lots of things Chad wants.
Paolello: "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Chad: "No."
Paolello: "Seriously?"
Chad: "Seriously."
Paolello: "All the girls out there are going to want to know -- the tough questions."
Chad: "I don't. I'm looking for somebody. I'm lonely."
Paolello had some easier questions about food.
Palello: "Do you like Skyline?"
Chad: "Yeah. I like McDonald's, though."
Paolello: "What about Graeters ice cream?"
Chad: "What's that? I eat my ice cream from McDonald's."
He also likes living in Cincinnati and playing for Marvin Lewis, whom he ranks among his other mentors -- his grandma and Oprah Winfrey.
Paolello: "If you could retire here, would you?"
Chad: "Uh-huh."
Paolello: "Why?"
Chad: "You always want to finish where you started."
Chad promised to keep Bengals fans cheering and laughing as long as possible.
Chad: "That's what I play for. I'm playing for you all. I'm playing for y'all."
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