Detroit Lions' C.J. Gardner-Johnson says he's officially changing his name to Ceedy Duce

C.J. Gardner-Johnson made a surprise return to the Detroit Lions on Friday for the first time since tearing his pectoral muscle in a Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and he did so a changed man — literally.

Gardner-Johnson announced on social media Friday that he is officially changing his name to Ceedy Duce.

"Court documents otw," Gardner-Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter, indicating court documents are on the way.

Gardner-Johnson, who has been away from the team since undergoing September surgery to repair a torn right pec, explained the nickname "Ceedy Duce" in an interview with the Detroit Free Press earlier this year.

"It's a different person," he told the Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. "I got an alter ego. I got like two different people living in me, football and life. Life, I’m just chilling. Football, that’s a whole different person. People call me Ceedy on the football field or Ducey. In life, they call me C.J. or Chauncey."

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On Friday, Gardner-Johnson surprised teammates when he arrived at the Lions facility during practice and made his way to the field.

"He told us he was going to be here this week, but he popped up today on us out of the blue," cornerback Jerry Jacobs said. "So to have that loudness and that funniness and all that around, it’s a great feeling so I was happy to see him."

One of the Lions' top free agent additions of the offseason, Gardner-Johnson had 13 tackles and two pass deflections in the Lions' first two games.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said last month there was a chance Gardner-Johnson could return this year, and Jacobs said Gardner-Johnson has been talking as if that will happen.

On Friday, Lions safety Kerby Joseph said Gardner-Johnson did a pushup in front of teammates.

"He popped up, too," Joseph said. "I’m like, 'All right,' but that’s what Florida boys do. We get hurt but we pop right back up."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.