HBO's 'Hard Knocks' Cameras Captured Chad Johnson's Miami Dolphins Firing

Wow. I know it's Chad Johnson, whose entire NFL path to stardom has been predicated on more "Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!" than any five-year-old whose mind never processes "Mommy's on the phone, don't make me get a switch," but still....who wants their firing filmed?

Alas, look where the former stand-out wide receiver finds himself. As it happens, The Associated Press reported, HBO's "Hard Knocks" cameras documenting the drama of the Miami Dolphins' 2012 training camp rolled Sunday as newly minted head coach Joe Philbin cut Johnson loose following a Saturday domestic violence arrest.

Johnson allegedly head-butted wife Evelyn Lozada during an argument when Lozada found a receipt for condoms in the couple's vehicle. Less than a day after Johnson was released from jail on bond, the Dolphins cut him loose less than three months after signing him this past June. The on Wednesday, news broke that Lozada had filed for divorce.

Johnson's release was an efficient affair. After Philbin reminded Johnson of his reprimand for a previous incident of using profanity in front of assembled media. Johnson was ready to fight for redemption.

"Coach, I've never been in trouble before. Ever," Johnson said. Just go with it; we'll suppose the many, many excessive-celebration fines aren't defined as "trouble" under some rules of engagement. "And I buy into your program, most definitely. Because after that talk we had, I was hushed from that point on. And I was going to stay that way the entire year.

"I let you down a little bit. A lot. I apologize for embarrassing you, and our organization, my teammates," Johnson said regarding the arrest in particular.

Guess who had two thumbs and gave less of a s**t than a constipated honey badger.

"It's not really just [Saturday] night," Philbin said. "It's where we are as a program, and where you are, and where we're headed. I just don't see the mesh right now."

And that was that. HBO's first-ever NFL snufff film.

Something about that just doesn't sit right. I don't mean Johnson's release, either. Professional sports are games of chemistry. Johnson isn't angry or a career criminal, but his antics and mouthiness can be nitro in a cocktail shaker.

No, something's not right about letting cameras roll while a player is cut loose. "Dignity" isn't Johnson's middle name - unless he's got another spectacularly dumb moniker-swap planned - but can't there be a line drawn somewhere?