Love him or hate him, the now-former Chad Johnson has backed up his conviction to his uniform number and nickname:

The Cincinnati Bengals receiver has legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco in Broward County, Fla., a switch that became official this week…

Two years ago, Johnson gave himself the moniker — a reference in Spanish to his No. 85 — and put it on the back of his uniform before a game. Quarterback Carson Palmer ripped it off before the kickoff. After the season, coach Marvin Lewis — who dislikes Johnson’s attention-getting stunts — referred to the receiver as “Ocho Psycho.”

So now, every play involving Chad will have to invoke the old Ocho Cinco, like it or not. Announcers have been saying it anyway, but now it’s official. For this reason alone, I’m now actually looking forward to catching the Bengals on NFL national broadcasts this season.

To be determined: What happens when he moves on from Cincinnati to another team. His decision-making process will have to take into account the availability of the No. 85 uniform number — that, or it’ll be another legal filing to christen “Chad Ocho Dos” or somesuch…