C.J. Gardner-Johnson, now known as Ceedy Duce, changed his name formally, and he has the official court records to prove it. He didn’t intend for his revelation on Twitter to be a publicity gimmick. Regretfully, Ceedy Duce’s torn pectoral muscle sustained during a September 2023 game at Ford Field against the Seattle Seahawks will prevent him from participating for the Detroit Lions for the remainder of 2023.

The Lions’ defense has suffered greatly without him because he was added to bolster their secondary. Having accumulated 13 combined tackles in just two games, he had an immediate influence on the season.

Ceedy Duce has changed his name before. This is not the first time. During his first two seasons as a Florida Gators college football player, he was known as Chauncey Gardner Jr. Then, in honor of his stepfather Brian Johnson, who had a big influence on his upbringing, he changed it to Gardner-Johnson in his junior year.

In 2020, he said that he was changing his name to Ceedy Duce while he was a member of the New Orleans Saints. He was very clear at the time that he wanted to forge his own path and avoid criticism. On Instagram, he posted, “Ceedy Duce.” No more CJ Gardner-Johnson or Chauncey. It’s time to make room for my desired self-image; until you genuinely get who I am as a person, please refrain from passing judgment or having predetermined ideas about me.”

The Saints selected Ceedy Duce in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 after three seasons in New Orleans, and he joined the Lions in 2023. Before being placed on injured reserve in September because of a pectoral injury, he managed two pass breakups and thirteen tackles in his two games with the Lions this season.