According to Chad Johnson, he has learned his lesson. The wide receiver apologized on Monday for the disrespect he showed a judge in court last week, landing him in jail for a week. After being released from the Florida jail, Johnson appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" to discuss the saga that unfolded with the now infamous butt-slap and what his future holds in the NFL.
"I think everybody deserves a second chance. People will say I might not deserve it. But I would like to finish my career off the right way. I don't want the last thing to be remember about Chad was, he was cut from the Dolphins for an incident he had with his wide," Johnson said.
Johnson has been sentenced to additional community service and extended probation after his 2012 domestic violence conviction. He has also been ordered to attend counseling. Johnson is thankful the judge was able to slow him down and force him to look at life from a different point of view. He is certainly hoping that different point of view along with his public apology will have teams considering him an option in 2013.
Johnson has not seen a football field since being cut by the Miami Dolphins prior to the 2012 season. At 35, he has not played a down for football during a regular-season game since being with the New England Patriots in 2011. He is insisting that he is fully healthy and can still help a team out. The six-time Pro Bowler told the news program that even though he only spent seven days out of a 30-day sentencing in jail, he certainly learned a very valuable lesson.
"Situations like this usually break people. I wouldn't allow anything to break me, so I try to continue to be my same positive self. And I think with me being Chad, it kind of made the judge feel I wasn't being serious about the situation. But trust me, I understood exactly what I did and lost two of the things I love the most at that time," Johnson said.
The likelihood of Johnson getting a second chance at the NFL is pretty slim. With plenty of younger veteran receivers still remaining on the market, it seems very unlikely that Johnson will get signed to a team. If he sits out the entire 2013 season, Johnson will be forced to retire if he does not do so before hand.