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What ‘CJ2K’ means and how it got former Titans RB Chris Johnson into Tennessee Sports HOF

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What ‘CJ2K’ means and how it got former Titans RB Chris Johnson into Tennessee Sports HOF


Former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson was asked on the red carpet at the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday night if it was OK to still call him CJ2K?

“It will always be OK to call me that,” he said with a big smile.

Johnson acquired the rhythmic moniker 15 years ago after accomplishing a remarkable feat that has been done by just seven other NFL players. He rushed for more than 2,000 yards in the 2009 season on the way to being named the NFL offensive player of the year and an All-Pro.

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Such a rare achievement went a long way in helping Johnson become the youngest member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame 2024 class, and at 38, one of the youngest ever enshrined.

“Going into that last game knowing how many yards I needed to get 2,000 and going into that meeting with coach Jeff Fisher, the whole coaching staff, the whole entire team was behind me,” Johnson said at the Omni Nashville Hotel. “They had my back. Everybody was doing everything in their power so I could break 2,000 yards.”

Johnson, who never hid his desire to be an NFL megastar, crossed the 2,000-yard plateau at 2,006 after rushing for 134 yards on 36 carries in a 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks. He had broken Earl Campbell’s single-season franchise record for rushing yards (1,934) in the first half.

Johnson gathered on the field after the game with his offensive linemen, fellow running back LenDale White and running backs coach Earnest Byner for a photo to mark the memorable occasion. He later purchased watches with “2000-Yard Season” engraved on them for the starting offensive linemen and tight end Alge Crumpler.

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The Buffalo Bills’ O.J. Simpson was the first player to rush for 2,000 yards when he did it in 1973. Derrick Henry is the most recent to do it, in 2020, making the Titans the only team to have two 2,000-yard rushers.

The franchise has long been known for producing outstanding running backs, and Johnson said he was honored to be among the best in that group. With 7,965 career yards, he is the franchise’s fourth all-time leading rusher behind Eddie George (10,009), Henry (9,502) and Campbell (8,574).

CHRIS JOHNSON HEADLINES HALL OF FAME: Titans Chris Johnson, Predators Pekka Rinne top Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies

TITANS SNUBBED BY ESPN: Which Tennessee Titans made ESPN NFL top-10 position rankings and who was snubbed

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“You see it on the internet all the time, questions like, ‘Who’s got the best running backs of all-time as a franchise?’ ” Johnson said. “When you’ve got guys like Earl Campbell, Eddie George, Derrick Henry and myself, I feel like we’re the best. To be amongst that group is amazing.”

Johnson said he is close to those three players, as well as with White. Johnson and White established themselves as “Smash and Dash,” and Johnson is quick to give White credit for helping him be as productive as he was on the field.

“C.J. is my best friend, but more than that he’s like a brother. He’s family,” said White, who attended Johnson’s induction ceremony. “I’m amazed to see where he took his life. I’m blessed and I’m thankful to be his friend. I don’t see how I couldn’t have been here tonight when you look back at our time on the field — Smash and Dash, the combo.”

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.



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Tennessee

Tennessee Softball Advances to College World Series

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Tennessee Softball Advances to College World Series


The Tennessee Lady Vols are now off to the College World Series after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the second game of what could have been a three-game series. The Lady Vols won the first game off the back of a gutsy performance by Karlyn Pickens, and many of their batters had a great outing.

In game two, the score was 2-0, as the Lady Vols scored off a two-run shot from Sophia Knight. Knight is one of the better players on the team for the Lady Vols, as she hit a home run in game one and had a home run in game two. This game was won without the Lady Vols best pitcher even coming to the mound, as the Lady Vols didn’t even use Karlyn Pickens in this contest.

Even though the Lady Vols are the team playing in their home stadium, they didn’t have the advantage in their game against the Lady Bulldogs, which means the Lady Vols had to pitch to a solid batting squad in the bottom of the ninth, who are also notorious for having a rally. The Bulldogs started the inning with a triple, and the batter later reached home after a wild pitch from Sage Mardjetko.

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There would be one out with none on, and the Lady Vols’ star pitcher gained her swagger back with a nasty strikeout that completely fooled the batter on, although, had she gotten a hold of the ball, it likely would have been one to go over. Goodwin would come to the plate with the Lady Vols having a chance to punch their ticket to the college world series, which is exactly what happened off the back of a 1-2 count and a hit to the second baseman, who sat her down for the rest of the season.

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The Lady Vols will now await the bracket.

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Tennessee school board member charged after calling teenage girl ‘hot’

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Tennessee school board member charged after calling teenage girl ‘hot’


An east Tennessee school board member who told a teenage girl, “God – you’re hot,” on video at a public meeting in April has been charged with assault.

State prosecutors on 18 May charged 59-year-old Keith Ervin under a Tennessee statute that outlaws “intentionally or knowingly [causing] physical contact with another [that] a reasonable person would regard … as extremely offensive or provocative”.

Tennessee considers that offense a class B misdemeanor, which upon conviction can carry up to six months in jail and a maximum $500 fine.

Ervin’s charge came after his participation in a 2 April meeting of the Washington county school board to which he was first elected in 2006. At that gathering, in plain view of a camera capturing video for the public board’s YouTube channel, Ervin gazed at a female student seated next to him, placed his left hand on her right shoulder, and said, “God – you’re hot. Did you know that? Damn.”

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She laughed uncomfortably as he leaned in and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, continuing, “Where do you go to school at?” She provided the name of her school, and he rejoined, “All right.”

Other people in the room could be heard laughing at the end of the exchange. And the Washington school district’s superintendent, Jerry Boyd, visibly smiled while on the other side of the student.

Local media reports describe the girl as a high school senior and a student representative on the board. Her father later went on social media and criticized Ervin’s behavior as “disturbing and inappropriate”.

In that statement, reported by Tennessee news outlet WJHL, the girl’s father said neither he nor her mother believed Ervin “should be anywhere near students” – and he expressed incredulity that the moment passed “without immediate accountability”.

Ervin provided his own statement to WJHL in which he contended he was not “always good with words”. He also maintained that he would not purposefully offend anyone, though he acknowledged the video of him and the girl looked bad.

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A Change.org petition almost immediately calling for the dismissals of Boyd and Ervin from their roles has since gathered more than 7,400 signatures. Ervin’s fellow school board members voted to censure him during a special meeting called on 8 April as outrage surrounding his filmed remarks spread beyond Washington county.

The female student at the center of the assault case addressed the county school board directly at a 7 May meeting – and she let its members know she was unimpressed with their handling of the matter, Tennessee’s Knoxville News Sentinel reported. She accused board members of cowardice while rejecting apologies from them, saying: “I do not forgive you.”

She added, “Thank you for teaching me that no one will stand up for me besides myself. Thank you for showing this community what you believe it means to protect our children.”

After he was charged in Washington county circuit court, Ervin was served with a criminal summons ordering him to appear at a hearing tentatively scheduled for 7 August.

Ervin did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

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His Washington school district biography says he is a self-employed dairy farmer by trade. The biography also notes that Ervin has two daughters who previously graduated from the school attended by the student listed as the victim in his pending assault case.



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‘Chud the Builder’ Tennessee shooting case headed to grand jury, bond slightly lowered

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‘Chud the Builder’ Tennessee shooting case headed to grand jury, bond slightly lowered


The attempted murder case against Tennessee livestreamer Dalton Eatherly, known online as “Chud the Builder,” has now been bound over to the grand jury following a court hearing on Wednesday in Montgomery County.

According to court officials, Eatherly’s case was moved out of General Sessions Court and will now proceed in Circuit Court. His previously scheduled May 26 hearing has been canceled.

Eatherly’s bond was also lowered from $1.25 million to $1 million, according to updated court information on Wednesday.

WATCH: Here’s all we know so far about the controversial, arrested streamer known as “Chud the Builder”

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The 28-year-old faces multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, after investigators said he shot another man during a confrontation outside the Montgomery County Courthouse on May 13.

Authorities previously said the shooting happened in broad daylight outside the courthouse complex after an altercation between two men escalated into gunfire. Both Eatherly and the other man suffered gunshot wounds.

The case has drawn widespread attention due to Eatherly’s controversial online presence. Known online as “Chud the Builder,” Eatherly built a following through confrontational livestreams filmed across Tennessee, including in Nashville and Clarksville.

Before the courthouse shooting, Eatherly had also recently been arrested in Nashville after police said he refused to pay a more than $370 bill at a steakhouse following a disturbance inside the restaurant.

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Eatherly remains jailed in Montgomery County as the criminal case moves forward in Circuit Court.



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