Former Miami Dolphin Chad Johnson Pleads Not Guilty in Domestic Battery Case

Johnson doesn't appear at hearing, attorneys enter written plea

Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chad Johnson pleaded not guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge in Fort Lauderdale.

Johnson didn't attend Thursday's hearing, and the written plea was entered by his attorneys.

"He's doing well, he's doing well," Johnson's attorney, Adam Swickle, said after Thursday's hearing. "Chad's the kind of individual that will always land on his feet."

The Broward State Attorney's Office filed the charge against Johnson on Wednesday, following his arrest in August for allegedly head-butting his wife, Evelyn Lozada.

According to Davie Police, Lozada found a receipt for condoms and confronted Johnson about it at dinner. The argument continued during their drive home, and when they arrived at their driveway, he allegedly head-butted her.

Lozada was treated at a nearby hospital for lacerations to her head, though Johnson told police she had head-butted him.

The Dolphins released Johnson the day after his arrest, and Lozada later filed for divorce.

The confrontation came barely a month after Johnson married Lozada, who is on the reality TV show "Basketball Wives." The 34-year-old Johnson had been battling for a spot on the Miami Dolphins after a disappointing season with the New England Patriots in 2011.

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