Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson's family 'heartbroken' over Dolphins split, Lozada incident

MIAMI - A source close to NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson (formerly Chad Ochocinco) say his family is 'heartbroken' over his weekend arrest for domestic violence against wife of less than two months...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

And the friend added that Johnson indicated to family members, after being released from jail on $2,500 bond Sunday, that he hopes to reconcile with Lozada.

TheGrio: Is domestic violence dispute the end of the line for Chad Johnson?

“I think he got caught up in the hype,” the family friend said of Johnson’s sudden fame. He was signed by the Bengals in 2001, but his star rose in the last year, particularly when he began dating Lozada. “And like a lot of kids, all of a sudden you’re a superstar, you’re a millionaire. It’s a lot.” Johnson reportedly didn’t drink, and the friend said he wasn’t even known to curse, though in recent weeks he was disciplined by the Dolphins for using foul language.

The friend said the family isn’t blaming Lozada for Johnson’s troubles.

“Did the family embrace Evelyn? Absolutely, because that was his choice,” the friend said. “Were they wondering, is this gonna work? Absolutely. Who wouldn’t be concerned?”

“They just feel like both of them made bad choices,” the friend added, noting that Johnson has claimed Lozada struck him first, after discovering a receipt from a local drugstore with a condom purchase on it.

According to the police report, Lozada claims Johnson head-butted her during an argument as they sat in a car. She reportedly has lacerations on her head. She later fled to a neighbor’s house, while he drove around their Davie neighborhood looking for her, the police report said.

“They’re blaming both of them for letting tempers escalate. From her reputation on TV, she’s known as a hothead, but now it doesn’t matter. A guy with a promising future is now unemployed. A career has been severed. And all of this after just six weeks of marriage. It’s just horrible,” said theGrio’s source.

Follow Joy Reid on Twitter at @thereidreport.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE