Calvin Johnson has been an open book as it relates to his past with the Detroit Lions, and once again in an interview, he has taken a few shots at the team.
Back in November, Johnson joined the Behind The Mask Podcast with Takeo Spikes and Tutankhamen Reyes and spoke about a number of topics including his time in Detroit. Though the interview flew largely under the radar since, the quotes resurfaced when Mike Sullivan of 97.1 The Ticket discovered them and put a few out on Twitter.
As the tweets show, Johnson clearly still isn’t over the frustration of his time in the Motor City.
Just now seeing these Calvin Johnson quotes from @thebtmpodcast:
“A lot of former Lions told me if they were in my shoes, they would’ve walked away too. I hear that from people all the time.”
@thebtmpodcast More Calvin on Lions:
“When I retired, I did some consulting and went around working with some other teams. I would think ‘Woah this is how you’re actually supposed to take care of your players. Damn, we don’t have none of this in Detroit.”
Johnson has been estranged from the Lions since he retired after the 2015 season, and has not been shy about sharing his animosity regarding what happened with the team. The nature of the frustration stems from the fact that Johnson was forced to pay back signing bonus money to the Lions. Johnson wants his money back, and it seems until he gets it, he won’t have trouble sharing some frustrations with the Lions out in the open.
Calvin Johnson Snubbed From NFL Top 100 List
Johnson was unexpectedly snubbed from the list, which included a few other solid players from the time Johnson was doing most of his damage. 10 players cracked the list and Johnson wasn’t one of them, even in spite of his statistical dominance.
In the aftermath of the decision, many erupted on the internet calling for Johnson to be in with the group, and for good reason. Johnson, nicknamed Megatron for the superhuman plays he was able to make catching the ball, was amongst the biggest physical specimen receivers of his time and helped re-write the record books.
As many, including former Lions and NFL offensive lineman T.J. Lang were saying after the decision, it’s time for a modern era group to comprise a list different from the others thanks to the fact that some key players are getting left off the list.
All due respect to the old timers who paved the way, but @NFL needs to come out with a serious modern era top 100.
Predictably, that’s a comment about Elroy Hirsch given his status as an older player from a completely different era of the game. It’s tough to understand how Johnson could have been left off the list given how dominant he was physically and otherwise.
Quite possibly, he changed the game in the biggest way possible of any wideout on the list, which makes him the biggest missing element.
Obviously, everyone on the list changed the game in their own way and were legendary figures for the game. Johnson should have been counted as such.
Calvin Johnson Lions Statistics
Since he came into the league with the Lions in 2007, Johnson wasted little time putting up great plays and amazing statistics. In his career, Johnson put up 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns and more than that, was a human highlight reel unlike any other receiver on the list. Out of Georgia Tech, Johnson was labeled as one of the freakiest players in the draft and he lived up to that distinction in the NFL.
Johnson shattered Rice’s record of 1,848 receiving yards during the 2012 season and was a stable force for the team, often playing through pain and discomfort on the field. He walked away following the 2015 season, leaving a gaping hole in Detroit’s wideout group. Since, Johnson has been embroiled in a feud with the Lions for the last few seasons over money that the team made him pay back upon retirement.
As a result of this, Johnson continues to make his feelings known.
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Calvin Johnson Slams Lions in Another Interview