The moment I walked out of that tunnel that first time I
was in the NFL and saw that 70,000 people, I said, "This is
me, this is mine, this is what I was meant to do." Some
people get scared that first time. Me? Scared my ass. I was
loving it.
NFL superstar Chad Ochocinco is one
of the most feared weapons in football, having amassed six
consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and made it to five
straight Pro Bowls. And he does things his way–always big,
always fun, always outrageous.
Take Ochocinco’s
extravagant touchdown celebrations: performing the
Riverdance jig, mock-proposing to a cheerleader, tossing
presents into the crowd on Christmas Eve, performing CPR on
the football, putting on a gold sport coat that says "Future
Hall of Famer." Or his sense of style: the blond Mohawk, the
gold teeth, the nude photo shoot for a sports magazine. Or
his trash-talking: People tell me I have to tone it down.
Man, do you know what I’ve been through to get here? You’re
going to tell me to stop having fun? Sorry, it’s not
happening. Or his unabashed self-confidence: I got
six paintings of myself in the living room of my town house
in Cincinnati. Why? Because I love me. I’m great and I know
it.
In Ocho Cinco, Chad offers his blunt
take on his life and career and on the bizarre game–and
business–of football. He takes us back to his days growing
up in a poor, dangerous section of Miami, where he was
raised by his stern grandmother: You want to know how I
turned out like this? Don’t talk to me, talk to my
grandmom. A high school quarterback, he went to two
junior colleges before landing for a single year at Oregon
State. From there he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals,
a team he eventually helped lead to the playoffs for the
first time in fifteen years.
Ochocinco reveals what
really goes on in the locker room, on the field, and in the
clubs where so many of his fellow athletes get in trouble.
He talks about fights with teammates, coaches, and owners.
He offers his honest observations on drugs, cheating, and
women: You get all this money and you get all these women
at your disposal. . . . You’re going to do your thing, trust
me. You’re going to do it. And he deals frankly with his
reputation as a malcontent and drama king: People want to
be entertained, but the minute you open up about it and have
some fun, they bash you for it. They want you to play inside
this little box, and if you ever dare step outside this
little box you’re in trouble. Well, there is no box for me.
I am completely out of the box.
Ocho Cinco
gives fans a rare inside look at pro football, presented by
a singular athlete who’s not afraid to speak his mind:
What I do may be funny, but nothing I do is a joke.
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