Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Ex-Dolphin leaves whopping $1,000 tip
Chad Johnson’s tab at Havana’s Cuban Cuisine came out to $37.40 on Monday afternoon. Then he tacked on roughly a 2,700% tip for good measure.
On the first day restaurants were allowed to reopen for in-house dining in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, the former NFL star receiver offered a $1,000 tip at the Cooper City restaurant as his token of gratitude. Johnson, once known as Chad “Ochocinco,” spent a few months with the Dolphins organization in 2012, but was released before he played a game after a domestic battery arrest.
“Congrats on re-opening, sorry about the pandemic, hope this helps” Johnson wrote at the bottom of the check. “I LOVE YOU.”
For good measure, Johnson tweeted the photo with the caption: “Proverbs 11:25”, a bible verse which states: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
Havana’s responded on Facebook soon after, thanking Johnson for his “continued patronage” and “generosity.”
Johnson made six Pro Bowls in his 12-year NFL career, the bulk of which was spent with the Cincinnati Bengals. Though he hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2011 with the New England Patriots, Johnson played three seasons in the Canadian Football League, from 2014-17, and most recently made headlines in January when he tried out for the XFL as a kicker.
The transition from his natural position of receiver, while surprising, was not unforeseen; Johnson, a lifelong soccer fan, spent a year with local National Premier Soccer League team Boca Raton FC, where he often filmed videos kicking long field goals.
Last June, Johnson hosted a pay-per-view, NFL speed event at the BB&T Center in Sunrise dubbed, “40 Yards of Gold,” in which Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Marquise Goodwin emerged victorious.
Johnson grew up in Miami but lives in Broward County. In January 2019, when President Trump’s adviser Roger Stone was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Johnson tweeted about seeing the FBI arresting his “neighbor” while he Johnson was getting ready for his morning jog.