Press release from Cincy:

““Effective today, the Bengals begin the process of listing the former Chad Johnson as Chad Ocho Cinco for all club business, per the legal change of his surname effected in Florida. The list of appropriate changes will include Ocho Cinco wearing his new surname on the back of his jersey for Sunday’s season opener at Baltimore.”

They have also Updated the roster on their official site.

The rumors started a few weeks ago that Chad was going to legally change his last name to Ocho Cinco and I didn’t quite believe it, but according to Miami radio station 790 The Ticket, the move is now official and legally binding.

I’ve seen bloggers call Johnson an idiot for doing this (because if he wanted to use proper Spanish it’d be Ochenta Y Cinco), but I personally LOVE the move. This is a way for players to fight back against Roger Goodell and the ‘No Fun League’, as well as a smart marketing opportunity for Johnson.

In case you don’t remember, the NFL has fined Johnson in the past for having “Ocho Cinco” on the back of his jersey, as well as excessive touchdown celebrations. Now he can do one of the two without fear of penalty, no wonder he refused to get surgery on his injured shoulder…. that would ruin all the fun of this name change.

Go Chad!