Turns out, Chad Ochocinco Johnson wasn’t just training at the Bengals’ facility, he was living there.
Before becoming one of the most electric receivers of the 2000s, Johnson was just a hungry second-round pick who didn’t see the point in spending money on rent. So, he didn’t.
Why Did Chad Johnson Live at the Bengals’ Facility?
On Friday’s episode of “Green Light with Chris Long,” Johnson admitted, and reminded listeners, that he lived inside the Cincinnati Bengals’ facility for the first two years of his NFL career. From his perspective, it wasn’t just convenient, it was smart.
“I wasn’t spending no money,” Johnson said. “Where I’m playing, at my job, has everything I need. So why am I buying a house? Why am I getting a condo? Cafeteria, shower, work is right there. Just wake up in the morning, food, players lounge, the couch.”
This wasn’t a one-night crash on the couch. Johnson stayed there full-time, flying completely under the radar. The Bengals didn’t catch on until head coach Marvin Lewis arrived in 2003, two years after Johnson was drafted, and finally forced him out.
“You can’t do this,” Johnson recalled Lewis saying. “You have to be a man. You have to take care of responsibilities. You have family. You have kids. When they come into town, where are they gonna go?”
For the first couple years of @ochocinco’s career, he enjoyed all the amenities of the bengals facility by living there until Marvin Lewis said you can’t anymore 😂 pic.twitter.com/OFExEKR0Gd
— Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) June 6, 2025
Even then, Johnson didn’t see the issue. “To the hotel,” he replied. “I thought I was taking advantage of a situation that was good.”
It wasn’t just a fun story, it was survival. Johnson initially told Shannon Sharpe on “Club Shay Shay” back in 2023 that he simply didn’t want to waste money. “Why rent a place when I’ve already got showers, a cafeteria, TV, couches, right where I practice and play?”
Eventually, Johnson did move out, into an apartment not far from the Bengals’ stadium.
Chad Johnson Has Always Done Things Differently
Johnson’s time living at the facility might sound like something out of a Progressive commercial, but he was producing on the field the whole time. In his second season, while living rent-free inside the building, he put up 1,166 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
And even today, Johnson keeps making headlines. Just this week, he posted a video curling 120-pound dumbbells, only a day after Aaron Donald went viral pressing 130s. Johnson, weighing nearly 100 pounds less than Donald, couldn’t help but respond: “I’m bigger, stronger … and would beat him up.”
He’s always had his own playbook, and even in retirement, he’s still not following the rules.