Former NFL Player Chris Johnson Has Been Accused of Participating in a Murder-For-Hire
By Shannon RaphaelUpdated
Former NFL running back Chris Johnson aka CJ2K retired from the game in 2018 after 10 seasons in the league. But, he's back in the public eye after being accused of a nefarious scheme. The East Carolina University alum played for the Tennessee Titans, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals before hanging up his cleats, and he had a reputation for his resilience and the amount of yards he could rush.
In 2015, Johnson was shot in his home state of Florida in a drive-by shooting. The driver of the car he was in was killed after he got shot in the head. At the time, it was believed that the shooting was a targeted one.
Despite his injury, Johnson continued to play football the next season.
In the years since the shooting, an investigation revealed that there is some evidence to suggest that it was gang-related, and that Johnson may have tried to hire people to kill the men who shot at him.
Was Chris Johnson in a gang? Find out what the latest allegations against the former professional athlete are. Plus, find out what his response to the ordeal has been.
Was Chris Johnson in a gang?
More than five years after the Orlando shooting that injured Chris Johnson and killed driver Dreekius Johnson, new details are being released about what potentially went down on the night of March 8, 2015.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ Sports, the "intelligence gathered suggested [the shooting] was a gang related murder attempt on Chris Johnson."
This had many wondering about whether or not Johnson is or has been involved in a gang before. Rumors have also circulated that he was involved in a DTO (drug trafficking organization) in Florida, and that he supplied leaders of the gang with narcotics.
The former running back denied the allegations against him both on social media on April 9 and through his rep.
"Everybody I'm good. That news is not true," Johnson wrote in his Instagram story.
He also simply tweeted, "False news!!!" on April 9 once the reports began circulating.
"There's no validity to any of these accusations," his rep also told TMZ Sports.
Was Chris Johnson involved in a murder-for-hire plan?
The other facet of the court documents that allege Chris Johnson being involved in gang activity is that the retired NFL player has also been accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot.
According to the documents obtained by TMZ Sports, after getting shot in the shoulder, Johnson hired known gang member Dominic Bolden to kill his shooters.
One of the alleged shooters was killed in January of 2016, while the other was murdered in June of that year.
After Bolden allegedly killed the shooters, Johnson helped him become a leader in the DTO. The murder-for-hire shootings would have elevated a gang member in the ranks.
It is important to note that Chris Johnson has not been charged with a crime at this time, and he has only denied the accusations against him.