Chad Johnson doesn't hold back on Showtime's "Inside the NFL"

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Rather than replacing Warren Sapp as one of the co-hosts of "Inside the NFL," Showtime has decided to bring in someone different each week. Last week it was Bill Cowher. This week it's Chad Johnson and he had some interesting things to say with regular hosts James Brown and Cris Collinsworth. Showtime has provided a transcipt of the exchange. The show debuts at 9 tonight and is repeated several times before Sunday. Here's the transcript: On the mistakes he has made… JOHNSON: First off, I had an altercation with my wife. We all know, it’s no secret. And the consequences to that altercation with my wife was me being released. BROWN: Do you think that was the reason although the coach was saying that wasn’t necessarily it? JOHNSON: That was the reason. There is no need to blow smoke up my ass. First off, I lost two things that I love, honestly. Football, I love, you know that. You know the way I played the game. I enjoyed it. I had fun with it. Being married, being a husband, being a lover, was an honor. And I lost that. And you know that saying, they always have that saying, ‘You never know what you have until its gone.’ And now I finally know what they mean. I lost two of the things that really meant the most to me, that someone completed my world, completed me period. But I just hadn’t made that transition to where I needed to be the best man that I could, or best husband that I could. I didn’t make it all the way, fully. BROWN: You indicated that you are working on you and you say you are doing that in a structured program. Elaborate what you mean ‘working on me’ and ‘in a structured program.’ How? JOHNSON: I am in a structured program. For one, I’m taking classes, anger management classes. I’m trying to find out how can I channel my anger when I’m in situations to where I would pop off? How can I diffuse those situations, trigger points? On reconciling with his wife… JOHNSON: You know what’s funny? Is when you say that and I think about life in general and some of the things that you fought (pointing to Collinsworth) and some of the things you fought for (points to Brown). The struggle, all we’ve been through, we’ve all struggled, but we’ve all fought to get to a certain thing or something that we wanted. Like what I went through and fought for when it came to football. And I think to myself, do I walk away that easy or do I fight for what I love? Like the game of football, I’m not giving up on that, but I lost it. So I lost my wife, do I fight for her? Yes. BROWN: You indicated on TV that you did not initiate an altercation with your wife but now you are saying you did have an altercation with your wife. Is that part of the process? JOHNSON: Yeah of course. I don’t think I said that though on TV. It is what it is. I took full responsibility for it. I apologized for it. COLLINSWORTH: So you’re not blaming your wife at all? JOHNSON: I take full responsibility for everything always. Always will, always have. Where do I go from here? I think about it. I’ve got to work on Chad. Chad has to work on Chad. Chad has to go deep down inside and figure out where he went wrong. At what point did you lose focus on what’s most important? Like especially the game of football… At some point I had drifted off track away from that and being one of the best at what I do. Not only being the best at what I do, but I would tell you what I’m getting ready to do, and I would do it.