The team flew to Oakland on Friday and the following day, around 6p.m. PT, Ochocinco picked up his phone and dialed the number Hayes hadgiven him. Stephanie Paynter, Chris's sister, was sitting in thenurse's station at the hospital when she saw an unfamiliar numberappear on her brother's cell phone. She answered and the man asked forChris. Stephanie at first thought maybe it was a friend who hadn'theard Chris was in the hospital.
She asked who was calling, and how did he know her brother?
"It's Chad," the man said.
Stephanie was perplexed.
"Chad, Ochocinco Johnson," he said. "I'm looking for Chris."
It took a few seconds to register. She was talking to her brother's favorite player.
"Chad I'm so sorry, but my brother just died," she told him.
Therewas silence, then the sound of Stephanie crying. She handed the phoneto Sherry as Ochocinco kept apologizing. "I am so sorry. I am sosorry," he said over and over. He explained he had just gotten themessage and finished prepping for the game.
"I was sad,"Ochocinco says. "I was really sad. All I remember is saying, 'I'msorry.' There's not much I can say in a situation like that."
Sherrywas grateful that a Pro Bowl player would take the time to call. Shehad thought Ochocinco was unnecessarily flashy. That all changed whenhe called.
After surviving nearly seven days after thealleged beating, Kernich died on Saturday, Nov. 21. He was buried withan Ochocinco jersey.
