Evelyn Lozada is addressing recent comments her ex-husband Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson made about their past domestic violence case.
As some may recall, the pair got married in 2012 and were together for only six weeks before a violent altercation led to their separation. The NFL athlete was arrested and charged for domestic battery in August that year for head-butting the Basketball Wives star during an argument. Chad left her with a bloody gash on her forehead and consequently, after entering a plea and serving a one-year probation period, his football career never really recovered.
Years later, the reality TV starlet says she is still struggling with difficult emotions stemming from the incident, and a triggering Twitter exchange involving her ex has lit a fiery passion to speak out.
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It all started when a fan asked Johnson how he stays positive through tough times, to which he responded with a watered-down version of his past transgression:
“I lost my temper for once in life for 3 seconds & it cost me a lifetimes worth of work, I got it all back plus some after getting a 2nd chance & NOTHING will ever get me out of that happy space again…”
After catching wind of his comment, Evelyn shared a photo showing the severe injuries she suffered from the couple’s 2012 argument and noted, “this took longer than 3 seconds.” She added more details on her social media, writing:
“#MemoryLoss. If you’re going to comment or speak on our past relationship PLEASE SPEAK THE TRUTH!!!! You’re too old & grown to still be out here LYING! Domestic Violence is an act that should never be justified or minimized period.”
But shortly after, the 44-year-old gathered her emotions and uploaded a lengthy video where she opened up further, claiming it happened more than once:
“As much as I told myself I wasn’t going to respond because it’s not the first time he’s made this comment. I’m just tired. I’m really, really tired. For this man to sit up there and say that he lost his temper for 3-seconds is infuriating to me. As much as I’m trying to heal from this situation. I’ve been dealing with this shit for years, not only because I’m on a show but everything is so public. It’s message like this, tweets, that are trigger for me. And for this man to say, it was one incident, three seconds of his life and he lost everything.”
She continued:
“If you’re going to speak the truth, I want you to speak the truth. Ok, it wasn’t the first time. One thing I’m going to do is always live my truth. Whether it’s good, bad or ugly. I’m not going to let anyone take away my f*****g truth and put this perception out there for a pity party. As if you made one mistake. I’m trying to move on from this but as a victim how am I supposed to move on?”
Addressing users who claimed she was digging into the past to ruin Johnson’s life and those who questioned how the incident was handled on the VH1 series, Evelyn insisted she was triggered and is only speaking out to share her “truth.”
“I have never discussed anything else that ever happened except the incident people know because I always was concerned about his kids and our kids. But you can’t make comments like this and expect for nobody, especially me on the other end of this, to feel how I feel.”
Related: Hayden Panettiere Speaks Out Against Abusive Ex-BF Brian Hickerson
Lozada urged followers not to judge based off of her Basketball Wives persona and said she “did not deserve” what happened to her. Following her split from Johnson, she became an advocate for domestic violence victims through her Evelyn Lozada Foundation, which is definitely commendable. Hear her emotional plea for yourself in full (below):
It’s hard not to hear the pain in her voice and feel for this woman. It’s truly awful to hear of the alleged abuse she suffered through. Despite the painful reminder of what happened, we’re just glad she’s moved on to a better place in life and wish her continued strength going forward.
For more information on domestic abuse or to get help for yourself or someone you love, visit the website for The National Domestic Violence Hotline (http://www.thehotline.org/) or call 1-800-799-7233.
[Image via Evelyn Lozada/Instagram/Nikki Nelson/WENN.]
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