Lions safety C.J. Gardner Johnson ‘bizarrely’ announces official name change
Gardner Johnson has already changed his name once.
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Detroit Lions safety CJ Gardner Johnson (Image via IMAGO)
C.J.Gardner Johnson could be a thing of the past very soon. Not the Detriot Lions‘ safety; nothing happened to him physically. But he plans on changing his name. Again.
The talented defensive back has been away from prying eyes since he suffered a serious injury in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Lions Front decided to put him on injured reserve, and since then he has focused on getting back to full fitness.
Johnson shared a very striking tweet on Friday, declaring that he is in the process of legally changing his name from C.J. Gardner Johnson to Ceedy Duce. Altering the one word that people recognize as an individual doesn’t pop up too often. But for the 25-year-old, this is familiar territory.
It’s not the first or second time he has attempted to put on a different name. According to the player himself, this has been a recurring theme since college football days. The former Florida Gators starter went by Chauncey Gardner Jr. for his first two seasons down in South Beach. He changed his name to C.J.Gardner Johnson before his junior year to honor his stepfather, Brian Johnson.
The Cocoa native’s second endeavor in the route came when he was playing for the New Orleans Saints in 2020. He announced he was changing his name to ‘Ceedy Duce’. He wrote in an Instagram post:
Ceedy Duce. No more Chauncey or C.J. Gardner Johnson.
Why isn’t C.J. Gardner Johnson playing for the Detroit Lions?
Johnson reportedly suffered a tear in his chest pectoral muscle in September. He has been on the sidelines ever since. But according to head coach Dan Campbell, his safety has a high probability of making a return before the season ends.
Campbell told NBC Sports:
I know that the reports that we’ve gotten back on it are that it was a very clean injury. I certainly think there’s a chance that we get him back.
Dan Campbell to NBC Sports
Even the player himself is confident of a swift recovery. He shared an inspirational message on Instagram:
I played a whole game, bro. With a torn arm.
He captioned it:
I’m out there playing with one arm; they can’t stop this s***. Most people tap out. I ain’t tapped out yet.
C.J.Gardner Johnson signed a one-year, $8 million deal to join the Lions in March after spending last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He recorded an impressive 13 tackles and defended two passes in the Lions’ first two games.
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Ishan Misra
(3186 Articles Published)