Chad Johnson: Goodell asked my advice before celebration rule change

A pioneer of creative touchdown celebrations, Chad Johnson, appears to have played a role in the NFL's decision to relax its rules on end zone antics.

The former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver explained that Roger Goodell reached out to him before the changes were made, during an appearance on the "B-More Opinionated" podcast with CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora.

"I knew the rule change was coming," Johnson said. "I had talked to Roger (Goodell) a couple of times at length, maybe two or three times, before the rule change came out. And he asked my advice on what he could do to be able to loosen the reins on the celebration rules, but at the same time maintain the respect and integrity of the game."

Much like players have long opposed the NFL's stance on what's really a harmless issue, Johnson told Goodell there needs to be a balance without placing too much of a restriction.

"And I said, 'It's a fine line, and you have to find a way to find a balance between letting the players have fun and be themselves, without losing the integrity of the game as well.' And honestly, I told him, 'You only have to worry about who is celebrating and actually making the headlines, and that would be your top players who consistently score all the time.'"

It's unclear exactly how much influence, if any, Johnson's thoughts had on the matter, but it's fair to assume it was beneficial for Goodell to hear out a player's perspective.

At long last, the rule change actually sees the NFL take a step away from the longstanding and well-deserved title of the "No Fun League."

Let's see how far players can actually take their post-touchdown joy before the league again finds itself concerned about the "integrity of game" being compromised.