COCOA, FLA---
We all have signatures. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson has an autograph.
“You play for this moment and all of a sudden it goes by slower, and slower, and slower,” Chauncey says as he signs hundreds of posters in a conference room in Celebration, Florida.
He’s just a few miles from Disney World. The place where they say “dreams come true”. In a few weeks Chauncey’s dream of becoming a NFL player finally will. His life will change, but he says he won’t.
“I’m going to be the same guy,” Chauncey says. “But I’m going to have to learn all over again, because [the NFL] is a whole new animal.”
Chauncey signs his name Chauncey G.J. #23 on a Gators helmet similar to the one he wore last season at Florida. The G.J. is still relatively new. He legally changed his name from Chauncey Gardner Junior to Chauncey Gardner-Johnson before last season. The change was in honor of his stepfather Brian Johnson who has been a major part of his life and football career since he was three.
“I was honored, like I’m in tears now I was in tears then,” Brian said before the start of last season.
The name change meant a lot then, it’s taken on a whole new significance now.
On a Saturday afternoon in Cocoa, Fl Cayden King Johnson is just waking up from a nap. He’s just over two weeks old. Chauncey’s mom Del Johnson is holding Cayden.
“You going to be a star, just like your pop,” Brian says.
Brian and Del are new grandparents. Cayden’s mom and Chauncey’s girlfriend Cydney Griffin is there smiling while they hold her new son. He’s about the same size as the Peach Bowl football and MVP trophy sitting on a shelf full of Chauncey’s accomplishments. This is his most important one.
“You never thought you could love anybody as much as your kids but you’ve got your little grandson and he’s a blessing,” Brian says.
Their father son relationship yielded a lot of success. Chauncey hopes he can carry on the tradition. Back at the autograph signing Chauncey tells me about Cayden’s first athletic feat.
“Right now my son probably the best one week old baby, he did his first push up Sunday. he was born Friday and did a push up Sunday,” Chauncey remembers.
Cayden inherited his grandpa’s last name and his fathers talent. Chauncey passing along something else too. A middle name, King.
“The king, what does that mean to you?” I ask him.
“That’s my son, but before that was my son it was my favorite animal and the king of the jungle is a lion.”
Chauncey shows me a tattoo of a Lion on his forearm. The middle name inspired by his favorite animal and favorite movie growing up, Lion King. King is also a nickname Brian gave him growing up.
“I used to call him that because he used to be the king of the football field he used to just run around everybody and it just stuck with him,” Brian says.
Sounds a lot like the Chauncey Gators fans saw run all over Michigan in the Peach Bowl. Now Chauncey is ready to claim his NFL throne, but he wants to be known as more than just a player.
“I’m trying to be the best teammate I can be. The best off the field player I can be. I’m trying to be known as a guy in my community that can shine as a role model.”
And most of all a dad.
“Im playing football to be the best player I can be, but since my son here now I’m being the best dad I can be to my son, not the best football player dad to my son, because that’s not what he’s going to see me as,” Chauncey says.
Back in Cocoa I ask Brian if he thinks Chauncey will make a good dad.
“He’s already a good dad what was it two days? he’s talking about he’s the greatest dad in the world,” Brian laughs. “He was born on Friday, on Sunday he’s talking about how he’s the greatest dad ever, so yeah he loves being a dad.”