Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson Pleads Not Guilty to Misdemeanor Battery After Evelyn Lozada Claims “I Still Love Him”
Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chad Johnson (formerly Ochocinco), plead not guilty to misdemeanor battery in a Florida court in Broward County today -- and faces up to one year in jail if convicted.
Johnson was not present in the courtroom but his lawyer filed a written plea of not guilty on his behalf.
"I wish all of you would come to court with me this morning... damn butterflies..." he tweeted before the proceedings.
Johnson head-butted wife Evelyn Lozada in August after she confronted him about a box of condoms she retrieved from his car. The 6-foot-1-inch, 192-pound football player was apprehended on the scene and later released on a $2,500 bail.
According to police reports, Lozada suffered "a laceration on the center of her forehead approximately 3'' in length."
She filed for divorce after the incident, ending their six-week marriage.
In a recent interview with "Nightline" Lozada retraced the moments that led to the attack."And then the next thing I know, he grabbed me by here [pointing to her head] and he head-butted me," she said. "I felt blood coming down my face... and I looked at him and I said, 'You just head-butted me?' And it just -- everything just felt if it was in slow motion."
The "Basketball Wives" reality starlet who was ordered by Broward County judge Ian Richards to have no communication with Johnson still claims to be incommunicado with the embattled football star, but judging by her words, continues to want what's best for him.
"I believe he loves me. I believe he needs to get help," she said in the August interview. "He's a good guy that made a bad choice. He loves football and he's very driven and a great dad. He made a bad choice that destroyed his life, and I hate that I'm connected to that."
"I still love him," she explained. "I feel bad for him because his life is now a mess."