Is Chad Johnson Crazy?

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson wasn't so sure he wanted to stay with his current employer. He said so publicly, though probably not in the classiest manner. However, the amount of venom that sports writers have spewed back at him makes me wonder if Johnson isn't secretly aiding al Qaeda or something of the sort.

When I worked at a summer day camp, the little kids used to do things that were wrong because they knew it would rile me up to a comical degree. The little kids had a lot of power over me in that regard. I've always suspected that professional athletes say things that they know will make media members fall off of their stools upon hearing, just to get a rise out of them. If you've heard some of the sports media's rants about Chad Johnson's comments, you would assume that he killed their mothers.

This goes back to the media's reaction about Ricky Williams’ departure from the Miami Dolphins. I agree that Williams should have made his decision earlier in the offseason, instead of leaving just before the season was to start. But that wasn't the reason for most of the criticism directed at him. The media cursed him for leaving the game of football during the prime of his career. Yes, he's good at playing football, but he didn't want to do it any more. So what? There's no rule that he has to keep playing football, even if he's good at it, if he doesn't want to. Leave these guys alone.

These attacks only further the stereotype that sports writers are simply attempting to live out their failed dreams of athletic heroism. How about treating athletes like people, not just while talking to them, but when talking about them as well. And if you want something to rave about, there are plenty of more important things that deserve the energy.