Lions’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson Changing Name to Reflect On-Field Alter Ego

The Detroit safety is evoking Chad Johnson by changing his legal name to his nickname, Ceedy Duce.

Lions cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson is changing his name to Ceedy Duce, he announced on social media Friday.

The 25-year-old defensive back, who is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, shared the news on X, formerly known as Twitter. Gardner-Johnson said he’s awaiting court documents to make the change official.

“Officially changing my name to Ceedy Duce court documents otw 🙏🏾💯,” Gardner-Johnson wrote.

The veteran defensive back told the Detroit Free Press earlier this year that the name Ceedy Duce is his alter ego on the field.

“It’s a different person,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I got an alter ego. I got like two different people living in me, football and life. Life, I’m just chilling. Football, that’s a whole different person. People call me Ceedy on the football field or Ducey. In life, they call me C.J. or Chauncey.”

The 2019 fourth-round pick out of Florida posted 13 tackles prior to suffering a torn pec in Detroit’s 37-31 overtime loss against Seattle in Week 2.

After playing three seasons with the Saints from 2019 through ’21, he spent the 2022 season with the Eagles prior to signing with the Lions this past offseason.