When Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson was the King of the Jungle during the 2000s, playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, he was viewed as one of the best wideouts in football. He earned three All-Pro designations and six Pro Bowl nods. But he didn’t get those accolades because he was the speediest player on the field.
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Johnson earned them because he was a big-bodied receiver who could make acrobatic catches at the apex, was a crisp route runner, and had reliable hands. He was fast, sure—he ran a 4.57 at the Combine—but he was never considered among the speed demons like Steve Smith Sr. or DeSean Jackson.
And yet, Johnson apparently takes a lot of pride in his foot speed, even 14 years removed from his final NFL game at the age of 47.
On a recent episode of Nightcap with co-host Shannon Sharpe and special guest Gary Payton, Johnson discussed a recent human interest story about 82-year-old Dominic Stellato dominating a 100-meter dash race for people aged 80+ with a 16.02-second time.
Of course, the first thing Sharpe did after watching the video was tease Ochocinco, saying he couldn’t talk to Stellato on the race track. Chad Johnson got so worked up he forgot he was 47, not 57.
“Hey Unc, do me a favor now, do me a favor, like I’m not trying to be funny, even at 57, right now, me at 57 right now, I’m still faster than 87 percent of the NFL and they’re in their 20s,” said Ocho.
“That man would dust you. That man kicks dust up in your face,” Sharpe clapped back.
This dude Ocho can’t ever just let people have things 😂 let that elderly gentleman enjoy his win!@ShannonSharpe @ochocinco @GaryPayton @ShayShayMedia_ pic.twitter.com/Agtn0qxDF0
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) April 29, 2025
The back-and-forth had Payton, one of the greatest trash talkers in pro sports history, in stitches as Sharpe tried to get a rise out of Ochocinco, who clearly still felt strongly about his athletic ability. Ochocinco fired back by congratulating Stellato, but added that if they raced, he was so confident he’d give the 82-year-old a head start.
“Congratulations for being able to run a 16-whatever in the 100 meters, I’ll give him 30 meters. I’ll give him 30 meters. I’m like that,” Ocho said.
Sharpe once again rebutted, “Ocho, you can’t give him five meters to come and get it. I got five on it.”
Ochocinco then tried to hit back at Sharpe by saying that Stellato could probably beat the former tight end. To which Sharpe responded with an emphatic “absolutely!” because, as he says, he hasn’t run “in 16 years.” Sharpe may be lifting a lot of weights, but he’s not doing any of that cardio stuff.
Chad Johnson is a good 10 years closer to his playing days with the Cincinnati Bengals than Sharpe. It makes sense that he feels a little more strongly about this stuff. However, it could also be because he has been working as a player rater for Madden in recent years.
The figure he gave—87 percent—was so specific it couldn’t have been random, right? Perhaps Ochocinco took a look at the ratings and gave himself a score that would, in fact, rank higher than 87 percent of players in the league. Who knows what goes on in those Madden facilities?
