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It took almost nine months, but wide receiver Chad Johnson finally admitted to throwing a temper tantrum in the locker room at halftime of the Cincinnati Bengals' 31-17 playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 8. Johnson called a news conference two days after the game and repeatedly said, "Nothing happened."
But in a one-on-one interview with Sports Illustrated writer Michael Silver, posted Friday afternoon, Johnson said he "went off," but did not scuffle with head coach Marvin Lewis. What really happened in the wake of quarterback Carson Palmer's knee injury? "I just went off ... just flew off the handle," Johnson told Silver. "Even though we were winning (17-14), I was frustrated, man. I wasn't able to contribute at all — there were two or three guys on me at all times — and my quarterback was out. "It didn't help that I had an IV in my arm. I lifted my fist off the table, and it came out, and blood was spurting everywhere. After that, I don't even remember what happened. I just know I felt like going down the line and beating everybody's (butt)." Did he go after Lewis? "No," Johnson said. "If I'd gone after Marvin, I wouldn't be playing for the Bengals right now. They'd have shipped me out of there. "Look, I know that no one's bigger than the game, and trust me, the game's still gonna go on whether 85's out there or not. I don't care who I am or what I've done on the field." Dayton Daily News Chick Ludwig
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