CINCINNATI -- At some of his
lowest points in the offseason -- many of them
self-inflicted -- Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad
Johnson (who legally changed his last name to Ocho
Cinco) would get a call from his father figure in
Baltimore, ready to suggest a Bible verse and some
advice.
Linebacker Ray Lewis told the self-promoting receiver
that he needed to change. Instead of being unhappy with
his team, Lewis told him that he needed to be grateful
to be in the NFL.
Stop complaining. Start appreciating. Get back to
playing.
"That was the same message I relayed to him and a
couple of other guys around the league that were going
through the same thing," Lewis said Wednesday, in a
conference call. "I was like: Keep your peace. Let the
business side of the business take care of itself, but
keep your peace and always stay who Chad is, and that's
just loving the game of football."
The Pro Bowl receiver has changed, though not in all
the ways his coach had hoped.
He has stopped grousing over the Bengals' refusal to
trade him. He's been more upbeat around his teammates.
He's worked through an ankle operation that slowed him
at the start of training camp and an injury to his left
shoulder in the second preseason game.
In that regard, he listened to the advice.
"He's my spiritual father when I'm having problems,"
the receiver told sports writers in Baltimore on
Wednesday. "Ray has been there for me through
everything. Ray is really the only reason I've somewhat
shut up and calmed down and came back and refocused my
energy on helping my team get to the playoffs and all
my energy being positive.
"So, Ray is really the reason I'm back here happy,
smiling and ready to go again."
He hasn't shed the self-absorption, though.
Last week, he legally changed his last name from
Johnson to Ocho Cinco. He told The Associated Press on
Wednesday that he wants to be called by his new name,
but declined to talk about it any further.
It's unclear whether he'll have his new name or the old
one on his uniform Sunday for the season opener in
Baltimore. Coach Marvin Lewis -- who hates the
receiver's self-promoting stunts -- said it's up to the
NFL to decide what name goes on his uniform.
"It's not a stunt," Lewis said. "He changed his name.
It's a legal document. He's been wanting to do this
since March. It's kind of water under the bridge at
this point for us."
Spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail to the AP that
the league hasn't addressed the question yet.
Asked if the new name is one of the changes that
resulted from Johnson's talks with Ray Lewis, the
Bengals coach laughed loudly.
"That's a very good question," he said. "We're going to
figure Chad out now?"
Ray Lewis, who at age 33 is three years older than the
receiver, has noticed a change in attitude when he
talks to him on the phone.
"These are the things that he has grabbed onto, to say
that life is life, life is good," the linebacker said.
"You can be a true role model to some people and show
people what life is about when you really challenge
yourself to be great every day."
Asked about the name change, Ray Lewis chuckled.
"It's whatever it is," he said. "If that's the way he
feels he wants to be called, then let him go by that."
(espn.com)