Chad Ochocinco Johnson has a contrarian explanation for why he had such a healthy NFL playing career: The Golden Arches.
Johnson has long professed his love for McDonald’s. He has said every first date he’s ever gone on has been there. He works out while eating it. He’s gotten it delivered to the nightclub VIP area.
Walking the red carpet at the Sports Illustrated Awards, Johnson stated matter-of-factly that McDonald’s was responsible for his clean bill of health over his 12-year career with the Bengals and Patriots. He played the full 16 games seven times and never in fewer than the 12 in his rookie season.
“I want people to realize that playing professional sports … that these high-end places that force you to eat what they consider to be healthy, there’s a reason why your bodies are breaking down,” Johnson told SI’s Ashley Nicole Moss.
“The body needs to build a callous,” Johnson said. “How do you do that? By eating whatever you want. The reason for my success, and everyone else’s — Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons; ask any of those that are succeeding right now and haven’t been hurt — McDonald’s is the answer.”