Chad Johnson may have trouble with work permit to play in CFL

Chad Johnson has been out of the NFL since 2012, when he was cut during Miami Dolphins training camp. (Doug Murray/Icon SMI)

Hoping to continue his professional career north of the border in the Canadian Football League, former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson signed with the Montreal Alouettes last week. Unfortunately for Johnson, his criminal record may keep him from ever joining the team.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Johnson will have to wait seven to 10 days to see whether he will be approved for a permit to work in Canada.

“We still have to sit down and figure everything out and apply for acceptance into Canada and all those kind of things,” Alouettes general manager Jim Popp told the London Free Press. “We’ll see if all that actually takes place, to see if he’s going to be in the CFL at some point.”

Johnson's 2012 arrest on a domestic battery charge, to which he entered a no contest plea, could foil his request for a work permit.