Prior to the Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Jets game last weekend, notorious show-off Chad Ochocinco (yes, he changed his name from Johnson to Ochocinco to reflect his jersey #85, and won’t he feel like a dufus when he gets traded to a team that won’t give him #85) was in rare form. Ever the one for attracting publicity, Mr. #85 decided to insert himself in all of the press received by his opposition, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, for his ability to defend the top receivers in the NFL.
All week long Ochocinco trumpeted his own abilities and declared that Revis would fail to stop him. He announced to the whole world that he would refuse to come out of the game, even if his own team had to use all of its timeouts to try to force him out of the game, just so he could stay in the game and beat Revis.
In a pre-game interview with NBC Sports reporter Andrea Kremer, Ochocinco was asked what he would do if, for arguments sake, Revis shut him down. The mouthy one proclaimed he would change his name back to Chad Johnson prior to the rematch game the following week in the first round of the playoffs. Ms. Kremer seized on the opportunity with the following question, “So if Revis stops you tonight, you will be introduced next week in the playoffs as Chad Johnson.” To which Ochocinco replied affirmatively.
Long story short, Revis completely shut down Ochocinco. He didn’t make a single catch all night, the first time this has happened since 2002, and Revis appeared to be inside the #85 jersey on many occasions.
The moral of the story: Be careful not to over-promise and under-deliver. Whether in sports, politics, or business, a wise person will take the course of always delivering more than you say you will. Is your business in the habit of making promises it can’t keep? Are you noticing a trend of unhappy clients/customers? This just might be the cause.
Now, I will definitely be tuning into the playoff rematch game between the Jets and Bengals. My guess is Revis will win the rematch as well. I can’t wait to see how #85 is introduced.
Mr. Ochocinco has already broken one promise, and I suspect he will break another because he has proven himself untrustworthy. But, I make this promise. If he is announced as Chad Johnson, I will make sure to set the record straight here on the CBT Blog.
Tags: Andrea Kremer, Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals, Darrelle Revis, football, NBC Sports, New York Jets, NFL, over-promise, playoffs, under-deliverCategories: Business.
