Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson only Bengal nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017

Chad Johnson is getting his shot at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

On Wednesday, the list of Modern-Era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 was announced, and it included the former Cincinnati Bengals receiver as a first-year eligible player.

During his 10-year career with the Bengals, Johnson had 751 catches for 10,783 yards (14.4 ypc) with 66 touchdowns. He owns seven Bengals franchise receiving records, and is also a six-time NFL Pro Bowler who was named to three NFL All-Pro teams.

After brief stints with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, Johnson finished his NFL career in 2012 with 766 catches for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns. He was known for the ability to produce big plays and let his opponents know it with his boisterous attitude.

Unfortunately, his NFL career ended with an ugly trade dispute that eventually saw him go to New England where he flamed out, and wound up in Miami for the 2012 preseason before being infamously cut for a domestic violence incident, which was well-documented on HBO's Hard Knocks.

The Modern-Era nominees will be trimmed to 25 semifinalists in November and then to 15 finalists in January. From there, three additional finalists, the recently named Senior Finalist, Kenny Easley, and the 2017 Contributor Finalists, Jerry Jones and Paul Tagliabue will be added to the list of nominees. The 18 names will then be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual selection meeting on the eve of Super Bowl LI.

The Selection Committee will then meet on Saturday, February 4, 2017 in Houston, Texas to elect the Class of 2017. There is no set number for any class of enshrinees, but the selection process by-laws provide that between four and eight new members will be selected.

Johnson is facing long odds to be among those who make it in as a first-year eligible player, but it’s great to see him making the list. Just being able to add ‘Pro Football Hall of Fame nominee’ to your resume is a very high accomplishment that Johnson should be proud of.

Go here for the full list of 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame nominees.