CHAD TOOK SWING AT MARVIN
A league source tells us that multiple members of the Cincinnati Bengals witnessed a troubling incident as the team prepared to take the field for the second half of Sunday's playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Per the source, the last few minutes of intermission were ticking away, when the players were startled by the sight and sound of a helmet slamming against the glass pane of the training room door. Inside, receiver Chad Johnson and receivers coach Hue Jackson were engaged in an altercation. At one point, Johnson was seen holding Jackson in a headlock.
Coach Marvin Lewis entered the training room to intervene, and Johnson (per the source) took a swing at him.
Eventually, receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh broke up the skirmish, within a minute or so of the team exiting the locker room for the second half.
On Monday, several members of the team point to the Johnson-Jackson-Lewis incident as the catalyst for the loss of a 17-14 halftime lead and, ultimately, a 31-17 defeat.
Word is that Johnson was unhappy with the lack of balls thrown to him in the first half. A total of three passes came his way, with two completions.
In the second half, another three passes were thrown to Johnson, with only two more completions. For the game, Johnson had four catches for 59 yards.
The incident could have an even more lasting impact on the team than quarterback Carson Palmer's torn ACL and MCL. Some players, we're told, don't want to see Johnson back next year, and there's a belief that the team will be less inclined to give in to Johnson's request for a hefty restructuring of a contract that expires after the 2009 season.
So the Chad Johnson saga very well could evolve into the 2006 version of the Terrell Owens fiasco.
If so, it's very bad news for a franchise that looked to have a very bright future.
