Calvin Johnson shocked the NFL world following the 2017 season when he retired. After leaving the Detroit Lions years ago, Johnson hasn’t been shy about ripping the organization and that only continued this week.
In an interview on the Behind the Mask podcast, Johnson took aim at the Lions for their poor treatment of players and opened up on how it influenced his decision to stay away from the game.
“When I retired, I did some consulting and went around working with some other teams,” Johnson said, via Behind the Mike. 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 highlighted how he’d often hear from players who left other teams to join the Lions and quickly noticed how poorly the organization treated its players.
While many wanted Johnson to return to the game and rumors circulated during the 2017 season, he always made it clear he was done with football.
Johnson was one of the most gifted receivers to play in the NFL and he dominated with 11,619 receiving yards and 83 touchdowns across nine seasons. Unfortunately, injuries, along with poor play and mismanagement by the Lions, pushed him away from the game.