It’s likely not the first time in his life.
But former NFL wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson says he’s living yet another dream.
After a long career spent mostly with the Cincinnati Bengals, the 47-year-old gamer has become deeply involved in helping spread the word on the Orlando-built Madden NFL series.
On Friday, that brought him to Edgewater High School, where he helped EA experts assess and give students Madden ratings.
It was a kickoff event to promote the powerhouse football program’s game on Friday night against NFL Academy Europe-Africa.
The game ended in a 42-7 drubbing by the home team.
“It’s been tremendous,” he said. “It’s been fun.”
For NFL players, it has become a rite of passage almost to playfully complain about their Madden NFL ratings.
In fact, Ochocinco might have chirped occasionally.
But now, on the other side, he said there is less of a reason to complain.
“They know I’m fair, so you can’t complain about the people that are in position to make the ratings and say, ‘Oh, they never played the game,'” he said.
High school powerhouse gets NFL treatment
The ratings event took place during Edgewater High’s extended lunch period.
That’s when EA arrived with a team of 10 Madden ratings adjusters and coached students through the process.
With several hundred participants, including teachers, students and, of course, Ochocinco, the on-field energy was nothing short of electrifying.
“We’re part of the community, and we want to make sure that this is a healthy vibrant community,” Seann Graddy, EA Sports’ vice president of production, said. “Supporting a high school that’s got a great football reputation is part of that.”
The exercises consisted of three activities: a 40-yard dash, a 20-yard shuffle run and a vertical jump.
The routine represents a scaled-down version of the NFL combine experience.
However, it does provide a version of players who get scouted by the pros.
“I think this is a good experience to just see how everything goes and push myself to one day being in the game,” Grayson Gibson, a wide receiver on the Fighting Eagles, said.
As the players went through their reps, trying to impress the decision makers, coaches saw the day as a good bonding exercise.
An excuse to spend more time hanging out off the field as they prepare to jump into what they hope is another successful season.
“They care about each other,” first-year Edgewater head coach Patrick Browning said. “It’s a very close group and a really special senior class that care about each other.”
As the wide receiver Gibson talkes about his goals, he said he hopes to be in Madden some day.
That is what it’s all about, Ochocinco said.
“Back in the day, you had to be self-motivated,” he said. “But now, there so many different outlets and programs that allow these kids to flourish in whatever their respective paths are that it’s really awesome.”