Chad Johnson released from jail

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DAVIE, Fla. -- Chad Johnson's teammates were taking the field for practice at the Miami Dolphins' training camp just as he walked out of jail Sunday.

He missed the workout, and it's unclear whether he'll be back.

The six-time Pro Bowl receiver was released on $2,500 bond a day after his wife accused him of head-butting her during an argument in front of their home. Johnson was charged with simple domestic battery, a misdemeanor.

The confrontation came barely a month after Johnson married Evelyn Lozada, who is on the reality TV show "Basketball Wives."

Following practice, coach Joe Philbin said he had yet to meet with Johnson but would soon. Johnson, 34, has been battling for a spot on the team after a disappointing season with the New England Patriots in 2011.

"We're going to deal with this at the appropriate time," Philbin said. "We're not going to waste time. ... We're all in this thing together. Everybody that sets foot in this building, we're all held to a high standard."

Only five days earlier, Philbin said Johnson's roster spot could be in jeopardy if he didn't temper his freewheeling behavior. Johnson annoyed the coach by frequently using profanity during a session with reporters.

Broward County jail officials said Johnson was released from jail Sunday afternoon.

Johnson's defense attorney, Adam Swickle, says Johnson posted the bond Sunday morning. Swickle says a no-contact order has been issued that prevents Johnson from contacting Lozada.

Such orders are common in domestic violence cases.

Swickle declined to comment further.

Police say Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, was arrested Saturday. Davie police Capt. Dale Engle said the argument, which occurred in the front of the couple's home, started when Lozada confronted Johnson about a receipt she had found for a box of condoms.

According to an arrest affidavit, Johnson's wife said she was taking groceries into their home when she found the receipt in the car's trunk. When the two were seated back in the car, they began talking about the receipt and their marriage. That's when Johnson got upset and head-butted his wife, the report says.

Lozada ran to a neighbor's house and called police. A responding officer said he saw a 3-inch cut on Lozada's forehead, according to the affidavit.

Johnson did not have any visible marks or bruises. When questioned by police, he confirmed there was an argument over the receipt, but said his wife had head-butted him.

The officer, based on interviews and observations, charged Johnson with simple domestic battery.

Lozada was treated at a hospital for a cut to her forehead, Engle said.

If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, though he could also receive community service, probation or anger management classes.

News of the arrest spread quickly Saturday, an off day for the team.

"I was shocked," tight end Charles Clay said. "Of course, you don't want things like that to happen."

Johnson has long been known for outlandish antics that annoyed his teammates as well as coaches, but in the wake of his arrest, several players expressed support for him.

"We're all there for him in this tough time," receiver Davone Bess said. "He has been busting his tail in the meetings and on the practice field, doing all the necessary things to make the team and do a good job. Stuff happens. We all run into situations. It's life."

Johnson

Philbin, a first-year head coach, talked with his players about Johnson's arrest.

"I reminded them that on April 10 in our first team meetings, I said, 'Guys, I'd love to stand up here and tell you we're never going to have a problem here in Miami,'" Philbin said. "Do we want high-character guys? Yes. All 31 other coaches are going to say the same thing. But I specifically told them on April 10 that there will be problems that arise and you have to deal with them honestly and openly and directly. You've got to learn from mistakes and move on, and you can't hide from the problem."

Johnson signed with the Dolphins in June, four days after he was released by New England. A six-time Pro Bowl receiver with Cincinnati, he caught only 15 passes in 15 games for the Patriots last year after they acquired him in a trade for a pair of draft picks.

On Friday night in the Dolphins' 20-7 loss to Tampa Bay in their preseason opener, the only pass thrown to Johnson slipped through his hands.

Johnson was known as Ochocinco for the past four seasons. The name was a playful reference to the No. 85 he wore on his jersey.

Johnson and Lozada were prominent in the recent first episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins."

In one sequence 40 minutes into the show, as he is leaving the Dolphins' facility before the first off-day of camp, Johnson jokes to Stuart Weinstein, the Dolphins' chief security investigator, who is off-camera, that he would be arrested.

"Stu, I promise I'm getting arrested while we're off," Johnson says.

"Call me, I'll come get you," Weinstein replies.

VH1's "Basketball Wives" is filmed in Miami and also features Shaunie O'Neal, the former wife of former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal. Lozada was previously engaged to former NBA player Antoine Walker.

Johnson and Lozada's wedding is slated to be featured in another VH1 reality series that begins in September called "Eve & Ocho."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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