Sep 29, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals former player Chad Johnson watches warmups before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Paycor Stadium.

Chad ‘Ocho’ Johnson has always been the life of the party with his quick wit and infectious humor. However, behind the laughter lies a man who has faced his fair share of struggles. Especially when it comes to matters close to the heart, the 46-year-old NFL considers his mom’s loss one of the hardest losses of his life. The NFL legend recently opened up about the pain of losing his beloved mother, a topic that brought tears to his eyes.

In a heartfelt conversation with Shannon Sharpe on Nightcap, Johnson found himself overcome with emotion as they played a game of choices. Amidst the laughter, one option hit close to home for Ocho – the blue pill that could bring someone back from the dead. Reflecting on this choice, Johnson yearned to hear his mother’s voice once more, even if it meant enduring her scoldings.

“I’m looking at the blue pill in my notes. You know in my notes I don’t have a diagram but I definitely, I would love, I haven’t had an opportunity to hear her voice in a very long time. I would love to have hurricane power back. I would love…I would love…I just…I just want to…I just want to say hello to my mama just one more time, just curse me out one more time.”

While there isn’t a lot known about Chad Johnson and his mother, Johnson once recounted the moment he received the devastating news of his mother’s passing. The former NFL star described how he sensed something wrong when a family member dropped an unexpected call. Following this, his brother answered the phone in tears, leaving Johnson to digest his ‘Hurricane’s’ loss for real. Once again, Johnson shared the depth of his grief.

Mother’s Death Hit Chad Johnson Really Hard

Ochocinco once opened up in a deeply personal conversation on the “I Am Athlete“ podcast, alongside other players from the league. There was a shift in the atmosphere, much like on the Nightcap show, as they touched upon sensitive topics of mental health. This was brought to notice as the NFL world mourned the tragic loss of Vincent Jackson. However, For Ochocinco, the pain of losing his mother hit back, leading him to discuss his raw emotions about her passing.

In the aftermath of his mother’s death, Ochocinco never understood how to deal with the absence of a woman who molded him into the person he is today. Chad Johnson, an NFL star, a multi-millionaire, and an entrepreneur spoke of her with pain, acknowledging her essentiality in shaping his identity.

“That memory is gonna always be there, being able to smile and look at the videos and always live through those moments that we had, good and bad,” said Ochocinco, as reported by Heavy.com.

Despite the pain, Ochocinco gathered the courage at other times posting about his mom and the special moments between them.