Getty Calvin Johnson celebrates a Lions win.
Detroit Lions legend Calvin Johnson has become a first-ballot Hall of Famer and the way in which the wideout learned was a very special one.
As is customary in Hall of Fame announcements, Johnson got a knock at the door from David Baker. Prior to that, he got welcomed to the club by Barry Sanders, the last Lions player to be elected in a first-ballot fashion. When Baker surprised him with the knock, Johnson was moved to tears, something he admitted quickly.
Here’s a look:
Megatron gets the MEGA visit from David Baker.
Calvin Johnson is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
As Johnson said, he feels as if getting admitted to Canton makes everything worth it in the end that happened during his career. He said:
“Culmination of all the work, all the grind, all the ups and downs that you’ve been through. Just to be able to excel at the level and built to be able to have the opportunity to be amongst such greats, I’m sleeping with a smile tonight.”
It’s clear that Johnson is satisfied now that he has received his call to the Hall of Fame, and it is special to see all the emotion which he has.
Lions Send Statement to Calvin Johnson After Hall of Fame
Notably, the Lions were all-eyes after Johnson cracked the hall. Team owner Sheila Ford Hamp reacted with a solid congratulatory statement saying the team was proud of Johnson. This is notable due to the feud the team is embroiled in with their former star.
@calvinjohnsonjr @ProFootballHOF Statement from #Lions Principal Owner and Chairman Sheila Ford Hamp on @calvinjohnsonjr being named a first-ballot inductee for the @ProFootballHOF
A few weeks back, Ford Hamp said that she wanted to work things out with Johnson.
“I’m not going to go into the money issue, but I hope we can repair things with Calvin Johnson. He was obviously an amazing player for us. We’re going to continue to reach out to him and hope that we can repair things because I think it’s important that he comes back into the Lions family. We’d love it if he could, if he will. We are 100% behind him for his Hall of Fame ballots and hope he gets it this time. He was a great, great player and terrific person and we’d love to have him back with us, and working with us and helping us with everything.”
That’s a pretty honest and direct statement which would seem to indicate that the Lions want to make things right with Johnson. Recently, Barry Sanders extended his own olive branch on behalf of the Lions, so it’s clear the team is making this a major priority for the future like they should. The hope is Johnson being in the Hall of Fame can expedite things on Detroit’s end.
Calvin Johnson Nominated for Hall of Fame
Johnson had made all the cuts down to the end of the process, and looked poised to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Even though that was the case, there was a question about whether Johnson would have to wait or not considering the often complicated nature of wideout voting with regard to the Hall of Fame. Others such as Torrey Holt and Reggie Wayne had been passed over. Even such, none had changed the game in the way Johnson did at wideout, making the move easy in the end.
BREAKING: @calvinjohnsonjr has been elected to the Class of 2021!
Johnson will now take his rightful place amongst the greats of the game at wide receiver in the hallowed halls of Canton in first-ballot fashion.
Why Calvin Johnson Deserves Hall of Fame
Johnson arguably changed the game more than any other wideout in the league. His super-human size and ability to run fast was one of the most incredible combinations in NFL history. Johnson made numerous highlight-reel catches and changed the way folks felt about wide receivers. Now, as a result of Johnson, teams look for big-bodied players who can run and post defensive backs up in the end zone.
Johnson may not have had the team success, but his personal glory did allow him to rewrite the mold at wide receiver. For that reason, it felt as if he was going to be a Hall of Fame lock. With this announcement, it can now be said that is officially true.
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‘I Have Tears on My Face:’ Watch Calvin Johnson’s Call to Hall of Fame