One day after being arrested on a domestic-abuse charge, veteran wide receiver Chad Johnson has been released by the Miami Dolphins, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
The six-time Pro Bowl receiver was released on $2,500 bond Sunday after his wife accused him of head-butting her during an argument in front of their home. Johnson was charged with simple domestic battery, a misdemeanor.
The confrontation came barely a month after Johnson married Evelyn Lozada, who is on the reality TV show “Basketball Wives.”
Johnson, 34, has been battling for a spot on the team after a disappointing season with the New England Patriots in 2011.
Only five days earlier, first-year Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin said Johnson’s roster spot could be in jeopardy if he didn’t temper his freewheeling behavior. Johnson annoyed the coach by frequently using profanity during a session with reporters.
Johnson’s defense attorney, Adam Swickle, says Johnson posted the bond Sunday morning. Swickle says a no-contact order has been issued that prevents Johnson from contacting Lozada.
Such orders are common in domestic violence cases.
Swickle declined to comment further.
Police say Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, was arrested Saturday. Davie police Capt. Dale Engle said the argument, which occurred in the front of the couple’s home, started when Lozada confronted Johnson about a receipt she had found for a box of condoms.
According to an arrest affidavit, Johnson’s wife said she was taking groceries into their home when she found the receipt in the car’s trunk. When the two were seated back in the car, they began talking about the receipt and their marriage. That’s when Johnson got upset and head-butted his wife, the report says.
Lozada ran to a neighbor’s house and called police. A responding officer said he saw a 3-inch cut on Lozada’s forehead, according to the affidavit.
Johnson did not have any visible marks or bruises. When questioned by police, he confirmed there was an argument over the receipt, but said his wife had head-butted him.
The officer, based on interviews and observations, charged Johnson with simple domestic battery.
Lozada was treated at a hospital for a cut to her forehead, Engle said.
If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, though he could also receive community service, probation or anger management classes.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
