Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson And Evelyn Lozada's Marriage Has Been 'Volatile' From The Start

To the public, the head-butting episode that occurred between Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chad Johnson (formerly Ochocinco) and Evelyn Lozada, his wife of 41-days, may have seem like an isolated incident -- but according to a friend of the couple -- it's not so.

Their public confrontation was just one attack from an onslaught of assaults throughout their entire relationship.

"Chad has been abusive towards Evelyn basically from the beginning of their relationship," The gossip website PerezHilton.com reported.   "Chad doesn't like Evelyn's party lifestyle and it made his anger worsen. He hated the way she acted on TV and would often lash out at her for any little thing."

While the public was shocked over the aggressive act, the people closest to couple knew it was only a matter of time before the violence escalated into something more serious -- or possibly fatal.

"Chad and Evelyn's marriage was volatile in nature and a mistake from the start. He [Chad] went off the scale at her once because he was tired of having Evelyn's friends, like her assistant and stuff, living in his house." Said the source, adding:

"She told me that Chad threatened to kill her one time and that was really a red flag. But only a small circle of her friends knew what was going on and it was hard to convince her to get out of the situation."

The attack occurred after Lozada confronted Ochocinco about a box of condoms she retrieved from his car. He was later arrested on the scene and was released with a bail set at $2,500.

The arrest had a domino effect on the football star's life, VH1 cancelled his upcoming reality show, "Ev and Ocho," which was set to debut September 3rd  -- he was dropped by the Miami Dolphins --and Lozada recently filed for divorce claiming their marriage to be "irretrievably broken."