Cincinnati Bengals legend Chad Johnson wants to be an NFL color commentator someday. However, he already knows exactly what could get him in trouble if he ever steps into the broadcast booth.

“I just got a problem; damn, I curse too much,” he said on Nightcap. “They’re going to suspend me. … Ain’t no telling what the h— I’mma say.”

His co-hosts, Joe Johnson and Shannon Sharpe, were quick to agree that excessive cussing certainly won’t help him land a network television job anytime soon. However, Chad was confident that it will be an “exciting” opportunity, and he’d have “everybody tuned in” to the broadcast.

He’s gained heaps of knowledge about the game through his 11-year-long playing career, which makes him a great candidate for a potential color commentary role. Furthermore, his famously outspoken personality could translate naturally to television, and he already boasts a massive, established media presence through podcasting. But the question is whether he can actually filter those opinions for a live NFL broadcast. 

Interestingly enough, Chad Johnson was reportedly tabbed as a possible replacement for Sharpe on ESPN’s First Take, after the latter was fired from the show. For reasons unknown, this never panned out.

Live network broadcasts operate under strict standards. Networks carry NFL games to a family audience, and broadcasters have to be careful with profanity. Players themselves have to be wary of their language, as cursing in interviews will easily invite a steep fine.

Per ESPN, Johnson was putting his position on the Miami Dolphins roster “in jeopardy” because of his “freewheeling behavior.” He reportedly also “annoyed head coach Joe Philbin because of his profanity-heavy press conference interactions. And though fans know Johnson for his great career, his contemporaries also considered him one of the biggest trash talkers of the time.

Three years ago on Instagram, Chad Johnson shared a video as a general thank-you to his fans for sticking around. Funnily enough, he blamed his tendency to curse for keeping off the platform.

“I don’t make videos too much because I really curse too goddamn much,” he said. “That’s my problem. And cursing for me is merely a sentence enhancer to get the point across that I’m trying to make.

” I mean, people say, oh, if you don’t, ‘You got extended vocabulary, you should be able to talk without cursing.’ Well, s—. When you make food, right, you add seasoning. … No different than cursing for me.”

Chad Johnson’s football IQ makes him a brilliant mind to listen to. But his unfiltered mouth might keep him relegated to the podcasting world. If a major network ever decides to take a risk and put him in the booth, they had better make sure their censoring strategies are quick.