Calvin Johnson is working to repair his relationship with his former team, the Detroit Lions. The former wide receiver was notified on Saturday that he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2021. The former Lion made it to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
During Johnson’s Sunday Hall of Fame press conference, he revealed that he is working with the Lions to repair their relationship. The former stud wideout revealed that he had talks with Lions owner Sheila Hamp. “We’ve had some great conversations recently, and it’s been good to get to know her and just really have those face-to-face conversations,” Johnson said. The first-ballot Hall of Famer believes that their conversations are progressively getting better. “I think that we’re moving in the right direction,” he added.
Johnson was drafted by the Lions and played with them from 2007-2015. The 35-year-old became a star for the team as he was selected to the Pro Bowl six times. “Megatron” retired in 2015 and is the Lions’ all-time leader in receptions (731), receiving yards (11,619) and receiving touchdowns (83).
Johnson’s relationship with the team ended on a sour note when he retired. The issue between the two sides stems from Johnson having to return the $1 million signing bonus he was given during the start of his final contract. Since then, the retired wide receiver has not made any appearances with the Lions.
Hamp told ESPN that she wanted to reconcile with the wide receiver. “I hope we can repair things with Calvin Johnson,” she said. “He was obviously an amazing player for us, and 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 come back into the Lions family.”
