NFL

No More Ochocino: Bengals Receiver Changing His Name Back To Chad Johnson

In what seems to be an attempt to confuse fans and announcers everywhere, Chad Ochocinco announced he will be changing his name back to Chad Johnson—now that we’ve finally gotten used to calling him Ochocinco.

The Bengals receiver originally changed his name from Johnson to Ochocinco so he could put his self-appointed nickname on the back of his jersey. The name makes reference to his number, 85, even though it means 85 in exactly zero languages (It does mean “eight, five” in Spanish). He switched names at the peak of his career, prior to the start of the 2008 season.

His star power might have grown—he was on “Dancing with the Stars” and got two of his own reality shows, not to mention plenty of self-perpetuated media attention—but his production on the field significantly dropped right after he changed his surname. As Chad Johnson, the receiver had six straight seasons of more than 1,100 receiving yards, including two with more than 1,400. In the three seasons as Ochocinco, he posted the worst numbers since he was a rookie, averaging 806 yards per season. Whether this had anything to do with why he is changing his name back to Johnson is unknown, as he has yet to say much on the subject.

“I don’t have a choice right now,” Ochocinco told ESPN‘s Trey Wingo. “I’ve done enough with the Ocho thing.”