A year ago at this time, Chad Ochocinco was Dancing With The Stars when he was supposed to be in Cincinnati, practicing with his Bengals teammates.
With the NFL lockout in effect since March, Planet Chad has been extra busy. Or dangerous. Or both.
Maybe his wildest stunt yet -- and one you have to believe isn't actually going to happen -- is due for this weekend. According to the Associated Press, Ochocinco has accepted an invitation from Professional Bull Riders chief operating officer Sean Gleason to ride a bull at the LucasOil Invitational in Duluth, Ga.
The terms of the agreement: Ochocinco will earn $10,000 if he rides a bull. If he can stay aboard for the required eight seconds, the PBR will give Ochocinco a new Ford F-150, as well as allow him to rename the bull.
One can only imagine what he might come up with next.
Ochocinco already had an extended tryout with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer this offseason in addition to picking fights on Twitter and challenging his head coach, Marvin Lewis, to a steel-cage match.
Lewis spoke to Bengals season-ticket holders on a conference call Wednesday, and though he didn't specifically talk about the bull-riding potential -- and he doesn't often talk in specifics about any of Chad's stunts -- he did answer a fan question about off-field conduct by saying that during the offseason there's not a lot the team can do to prevent players from taking part in dangerous or questionable off-field activities.
Former Browns tight end Kellen Winslow cost himself a lot of money (in addition to years off his career, probably) when he wrecked a motorcycle in 2004 and violated a dangerous-activities clause in his contract. Even if there's similar wording in Ochocinco's contract, it wouldn't apply during the NFL lockout.
The question posed to Lewis included a reference to reality-TV shows, of which Chad had his own dating show last summer.
In picking players for the future, Lewis answered, "we hope their passion is football."
Ochocinco, 33, is the Bengals' all-time leading receiver and is under contract through the 2011 season. Despite drafting wide receiver A.J. Green in the first round last month, Ochocinco's battles with Lewis and his attempts to force himself out of Cincinnati, the Bengals don't have to trade or release him whenever football resumes.
"Chad is a member of this football team, he has a contract and that's the way it goes," Lewis said Wednesday. "That's where it stands."
