“I have played my last game of football.” – Calvin Johnson
On March 8th, 2016, Detroit Lions great, Calvin Johnson released a statement saying that he was retiring from the NFL, effective immediately. At only 30-years-old, Johnson could have continued playing and collecting paychecks, but instead, he realized that his body had taken enough punishment and it was time to move on to the next phase of his life.
Johnson recently opened up to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein about life after football, including how his Dancing with the Stars appearance came about and his plans moving forward.
Besides, Johnson knew he couldn’t dance. When people from “Dancing with the Stars” first approached him about joining their show last season, he talked with his mom, Dr. Arica Johnson, and said, “I’m not dancing. I don’t dance.”
The most Calvin knew was 90 seconds of a waltz he performed with his wife, Brittney, at their wedding last June. Other than that, it was typical dude dancing, otherwise known as simple head bobs from his days going to clubs. Ballroom? No chance. Then the DWTS people came back to him. They asked if he would reconsider. This time, instead of talking with his mom, he spoke with his wife, who had a different response.
“She said, ‘Why not,'” Johnson told ESPN.com. “I was like, ‘Hell, why not?’ I talked to the folks on the phone, and next thing you know, I’m dancing.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9XIViq2CP8
Johnson’s wife Brittney said that in his retirement, Calvin has started to discover who he is as a person.
“Retired Calvin, he’s just happy,” Brittney said. “Not to say he wasn’t happy when he was playing, because he was, but I think he’s able to enjoy life now. He’s able to do so many things he’s not been able to do for the last nine years.
“Most adults can do things on the weekends and discover themselves in their 20s, but I think now that he’s retired, he has the ability to really discover who he is, what he wants to do with his life and what he enjoys.”
To read more about Calvin Johnson’s life after football, including his desire to help young boys to grow up into great men, and his goals in education, please click the link below, you will not regret it.
Source: Calvin Johnson, former Detroit Lions WR, future motivator, life coach – Detroit Lions Blog- ESPN
