Chad Johnson Relents on Divorce, Faces Battery Charge

(Photo by Jeff Daly/Invision/AP)

Facing a battery charge in Florida stemming from a domestic dispute with his wife Evelyn Lozada, former NFL star Chad Johnson finally agreed on Sept. 13 to sign divorce papers filed by Lozada in August. Johnson, infamously known as “Ocho Cinco,” had earlier refused to go along with the divorce.

Johnson allegedly head-butted Lozada in the dispute, which began after she confronted him with what she believed to be evidence of his infidelity. The couple was married in July.

According to the Examiner, Johnson pled not guilty to the resulting battery charge.

If his Twitter feed is to be believed, Johnson is keeping a positive attitude, asking for prayers from his followers. And according to him, he won’t be going the way of Johnny Depp with his “Wino Forever” tattoo – an alteration of “Winona Forever” (Ryder and Depp broke up after being engaged for three years in 1993).

In response to a follower’s question, “Now do you regret getting that tattoo of Evelyn?” Johnson tweeted: “F[---] no…It’s gone stay right where I put the other 43 tattoos” – a sentiment that might not bode well for any argument he’d have against cheating on Evelyn.

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Johnson’s future career in football is likely on the rocks, as he was released from the Miami Dolphins the day after his arrest on the battery charge. Rumors were squelched on Sept. 18 of interest from the Philadelphia Eagles: “Johnson, 34, somehow remains one of the NFL’s most intriguing water-cooler names, even though he’s not actually in the NFL,” wrote Geoff Mosher for NBC’s Comcast Sportsnet website.

So stay tuned for fireworks over the pre-nup the couple reportedly has: Johnson’s going to be watching his pennies if he can’t find work, and Evelyn reportedly wants him to pay for her lawyers. In fact he tweeted about his predicament on Sept. 14, referring to “that awkward moment when my daughter ask ‘daddy why you not at work’ n I don’t know how to answer it appropriately.”