Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson feels betrayed by head coach Marvin Lewis and is privately threatening to sit out the 2008 season if he isn't traded, according to a source.
Johnson was upset after the coach quit speaking to his receiver early in the season, according to the source.
The Bengals star wideout has been making the rounds with the media at the Super Bowl. When asked on Jim Rome's radio show this week about whether or not he was happy with Bengals, Johnson sounded less than happy.
"I'm not allowed to say. I get the blame; the so-called best player, I'm the problem. Someone in-house is spreading this. Maybe they want me to quiet down [and] stop being me. That is not going to happen. I can't function that way. I tried it. It sucked. There was no excitement."
Lewis has said he won't trade Johnson, who finished with a single-season franchise-record 1,440 receiving yards. Johnson has had six consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards and is under contract with the Bengals through 2011 after signing a $35.5 million extension in April 2006.
"Obviously, there is a lot of frustration with things that happened last year as it pertains to Chad," Johnson's agent, Drew Rosenhaus told The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Rosenhaus tried to explain his client's recent statements to the media.
"What Chad is doing [in the radio interviews] is expressing his emotions and frustration."
Chris Mortensen is an NFL analyst for ESPN. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3228585
