It’s not secret that the relationship between the Detroit Lions and former star wide receiver Calvin Johnson hasn’t exactly gone smoothly following his retirement. He openly said that playing in Detroit just wasn’t for him anymore due to the lack of championship aspirations. Of course, there was also the issue of the team having him pay back a portion of his signing bonus after he retired with a year left on his contract.
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However, while hosting his Return to Greatness Flag Football Camp on Saturday, Johnson briefly mentioned the strained relationship between the two sides but didn’t go much further into the subject.
“We’ll see how that goes,” Johnson said after being asked if he sees a positive relationship with the Lions in the future. “But I’m not here to talk about the Lions at all. I understand folks want to talk about the Lions, but that time has passed for me and I’m moving forward.”
Lions president Rod Wood has attempted to repair the rift between his team and their former star, saying in February that it’s a priority.
“It is certainly a priority and I hope that eventually it will happen,” Wood said. “I guess the attempts I’ve made to this point have been unsuccessful, but that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying.
“I know what we’ve done and it’s beyond just inviting him to camp, but I won’t get into the details of it. I’m very comfortable with our attempts trying to bring him back into the fold and if it’s not working, from his perspective, I can’t comment on why it’s not working. That’s his call, at this point.”
Johnson, who still lives in metro-Detroit, expressed his appreciation to the fans that he still sees in the community.
“I love the fans,” he said. “I still live here, so I get to see the people day in and day out. I appreciate and love the community.”
Johnson also wished luck to new Lions head coach Matt Patricia.
“I’ve been busy. I didn’t see what we did, but I’ll find out eventually,” he said. “Best of luck to Matt Patricia.”
