Chad Johnson Legally Drops Ochocinco for Wife Evelyn
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chad Ochocinco officially changed his last name back to Johnson, it was revealed Monday.
The newlywed husband of reality TV star Evelyn Lozada, now Evelyn Johnson, said that the name change was mainly for Evelyn
"I'm just doing it for the marriage. It has nothing to do with football. Ochocinco is still in me. It's just my middle name," Johnson told ESPN. "I'm refocused and locked in. Time to get back to the old me."
The 34-year-old also confirmed that his no. 85 jersey will be altered to reflect his new last name
Chad, birth name Chad Javon Johnson, changed his last name to Ochocinco on October 25, 2006 in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
He has chose to reverse the name change because he wanted Evelyn, 35, to have a more normal last name, according to TMZ.com.
The couple, who met on social networking site Twitter, were wed in an evening ceremony in Miami on July 4 and the entire event was filmed for their upcoming Vh1 reality TV show "Ev and Ocho," according to Us Magazine.
"Live tweeting from my wedding... should be a first I'm assuming, music is playing, can't see my guest right now but they're here... #nervous," Johnson tweeted to his 3 million followers.
The reality star couple raised eyebrows in 2011 when Johnson proposed to Evelyn after just four months of dating, so he took the time to explain his decision to commit so soon.
"I know everything about her, so there are no surprises. My grandma says, 'Always marry your best friend, because your best friend will be able to tell you anything and not hide nothing.' That's one of the things I really like, which is one of the reasons why she's wearing that ring," Johnson told People magazine.
