Posted: 2:25 a.m.
 Johnson |
Johnson said he has no knowledge of the incident and indicated it was a routine part of a police investigation.
"Something happened in our area and they wanted to talk to everyone," he said. "I don't know anything about it. They asked me to come in, so I came in. That's all I know."
Bengals publice relations director Jack Brennan released a statement at 2:15 a.m., about three hours after the story first broke on The Miami Herald Web site, rocking Super Bowl week in Johnson's hometown where he has been an omnipresent figure. He was the host and a judge Thursday night in an end zone celebration contest on South Beach and his poster adorns several sites.
"Chad has confirmed to the club that he cooperated with the Miami police earlier this week as part of a routine investigation," the club said. "Police have characterized this as a routine procedure and have stressed Chad is not a suspect or even a person of interest. Given that, we see no cause to comment further."
Johnson said he did know Curtis Tavares Dopson, shot last Friday at his Miami duplex in the Brownsville section. His mother told The Miami Herald her son knew Johnson "from around the neighborhood."
''In any investigation of this magnitude, you have to talk to everybody, no matter how seemingly insignificant they they may or may not be,'' the paper quoted a police spokesman.
The Herald said Johnson, a four-time Pro Bowler who became the first Bengal to lead the NFL in receiving yardage this past season, spoke with detectives Monday night at Miami police headquarters, without an attorney.
According to The Herald, Dopson had two felony convictions in 2005, for selling cocaine and marijuana.
