Former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson has never been shy about telling his business to the public. The retired football player took the opportunity to tell fellow retired footballer and show co-host Shannon Sharpe that he credited the sexual performance enhancement drug Viagra for his speed on the football field. During a Nov. 14 episode of his show, Nightcap With Unc and Ocho, the former Cincinnati Bengal discussed how the drug would help him.
“Listen to me; it’s an enhancement with the increasing blood flow to improve performance horizontally, depending on how you do it,” Ochocinco said.
“Stay with me now. If you take half a pill before a game with a little bit of Red Bull, it increases the blood flow, which enhances performance.”
The outspoken player made headlines for his ritual in 2020. Since the NFL generally screens for performance enhancing drugs such as steroids, Ocho said the erectile dysfunction medication helps get around it.
“NFL tests for steroids,” he said on Twitter.
“How you gonna stop me running on three legs every Sunday?”
Ocho tried to get Sharpe to confess to using Viagra as well but the First Take co-host wouldn’t budge. “I can confirm nor deny,” Sharpe said.
The three-time Pro-Bowler continued his story to describe himself as one of the greatest NFL wide receivers while claim he scored 12 points NBA legend LeBron James during a game at NYC’s The Summit and thinks he could fight professional boxer, Bud Crawford, telling Sharpe to “ask Bud about these hands.”
There may be some truth to Ochocinco’s claims. A study from the American Heart Association found sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra, helps improve exercise capacity by dilating arteries and increasing muscular blood flow. According to the New York Post, another study found that the drug can cut the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 60%.
RELATED CONTENT: Viagra and Social Security? Why Uncle Sam May Owe You Alot of Money