Calvin Johnson hopeful his relationship with the Lions can be mended
Detroit Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp is on record stating she is open to repair the franchise’s relationship with Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson.
Nearly 12 months later, Johnson conceded that he’s also ready to repair the strained relationship, stating that he’s encouraged by some of the team’s new leadership.
“I’m faithful that having people like (chief operating officer Mike Disner) around the organization that want to make that things right, I want to make it right because essentially, at the end of the day, if I’m not associated with the Lions, that kind of hurts everything that goes on in the NFL too,” Johnson recently said on “The Richard Sherman Podcast.”
“I’m almost like a stepchild. Not saying that a stepchild is bad, but (they’re) a little (bit of a) cast off. … I just really want to be around the guys. I want to be around the team because I know that I have a lot to give back to the players, not just my position, but the team in general.”
The rift between the Lions and Johnson stemmed from his retirement on March 8, 2016. The team made Johnson pay back $1.6 million of his signing bonus for retiring early and not playing out the entirety of his contract.
“I could’ve kept playing,” Johnson said. “But that wasn’t who I was. I come into the league and I had a couple of goals — I wanted to play 10 years, I wanted to have like 10,000 yards, and I just wanted to leave my name on the record books in any sort of fashion that I could.”
A six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time First Team All-Pro, Johnson played nine seasons for the Lions, totaling 731 receptions, 11,619 yards, and 83 touchdowns. He set 16 franchise records including career receptions, yards, and touchdowns, the single-season record for touchdown receptions (16), and the single-game record for receiving yards (329).
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