Getty Calvin Johnson during a Lions playoff game.
The Detroit Lions had an exciting weekend, getting Calvin Johnson inducted into the Hall of Fame. The news continued to get better and better for the team after Johnson spoke following his induction.
According to Johnson himself, there’s been communication between he and the team’s brass, leading to the notion that the relationship could be set to get patched up and on the way to being repaired soon.
Calvin Johnson said he’s had face-to-face conversations with owner Sheila Ford Hamp and the two sides are moving toward reconciliation.
Johnson’s latest update is great timing for the Lions, considering the team welcomes a new first-ballot Hall of Famer into the mix soon. In the past, Johnson has maintained the best way toward fixing the relationship would have to do with money, so that could be how Johnson and the Lions move past these troubles when all is said and done.
Whatever the Lions have to do in order to make things right with Johnson they should pursue. He was a team and fan favorite and the organization was lucky to have him in the mix for years making great headlines on and off the field.
Give credit to ownership for owning up to their mistake with Johnson and attempting to make things right in the relationship.
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, and it seems as if that is going to be the case after this update.
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Calvin Johnson’s Feud With Lions
For the last handful of seasons, Johnson has been embroiled in a feud with the Lions over the amount of money the team made him pay back upon his retirement, Johnson has avoided much contact with the team in the time since, but the Lions want to bring him back in the fold. Contrary to what team president Rod Wood has maintained, Johnson claims the Lions haven’t reached out to him lately. It always seemed like it would be wise for Sheila Ford Hamp to mend those fences before Johnson gets inducted in Canton, Ohio.
It now seems obvious the team is set to learn from their past mistakes and make things right with a great player. That’s refreshing to see, because the feud benefitted nobody in the end.
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