NFL Fines Bengals WR Ochocinco $30,000

By: Matt Loede

Once again, Chad Ochocinco is paying the league for another senseless act. The Bengals receiver is being fined $30,000 for his latest stunt — donning a poncho and sombrero after scoring a touchdown this weekend in the win over the Lions.

Ochocinco wore a gray poncho and black sombrero after catching a TD pass in Cincinnati’s 23-13 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The receiver legally changed his name last year from Chad Johnson to a loose translation in Spanish of his uniform number, 85. “Ochocinco” literally means “eight five.”

On his Twitter account, Ochocinco posted Tuesday: “Dear NFL League Office … being great means having fun n celebrating. I’ve written a letter of apology to yall.”

This fine comes about a month after Ochocinco was docked $20,000 and reprimanded by the NFL for pretending to bribe an official a dollar.

While one of his catches was being reviewed during Cincinnati’s 17-7 victory over Baltimore on Nov. 8, Ochocinco held a dollar bill in his right hand at his side but didn’t give it to the official, who motioned for him to stay away.