NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson faces up to a year behind bars after being charged with misdemeanor battery on Wednesday, according to TMZ.
The former Dancing with the Stars contestant could serve up to a year in jail if he’s convicted, according to the the State Attorney for Broward County, Fla.
Celebuzz called the State Attorney’s office, but no one was available.
Why was the former football player charged?
This comes after his estranged wife Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada was allegedly head-butted by her husband of 41 days during a domestic violence dispute in early August.
Lozada had reportedly questioned the football player after discovering a receipt for condoms. Ochocinco was swiftly arrested, and the fallout began: the couple’s reality show Eve & Ocho was soon canceled and Ochocinco was fired from the Miami Dolphins.
Evelyn later filed for divorce, claiming the marriage was “irretrievably broken.”
Since then, Johnson had reportedly refused to sign divorce papers and even showed his extreme devotion to his soon-to-be ex by tattooing her face on his leg.
Even the reality star’s mother Silvia Ferrer told Celebuzz the marriage is “done”.
“I don’t think they’re going to get back together at all,” Ferrer told us. “It’s done. There’s no way she would ever go back to an abusive partner.”
Lozada admitted on Nightline that she still loves her husband “more than anything,” but says she is “afraid” of him and believes he “needs to get help.”
“It’s the hardest thing in the world to walk away from someone that you really love,” Lozada said in the segment. ”But, you have to walk away because I have to protect myself.”
Johnson also apologized to his wife: “I would like to apologize to everyone for the recent events that have occurred,” he says in a statement on his official website.
“I would like to wish Evelyn well and will never say anything bad about her because I truly love her to death,” he continues. “I will continue to be positive and train hard for another opportunity in the NFL. To all the fans and supporters I have disappointed, you have my sincerest apologies. I will stay positive and get through this tough period in my life.”
When contacted by Celebuzz, Lozada’s rep had no comment.
