When Barry Sanders gave his Hall of Fame speech in 2004, he memorably left out the Lions -- the only team he ever played for. Sanders was still in a rift with the team about the money they made him pay back after his early retirement. You can expect the same thing when Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson steps to the podium in Canton next month.
"I’m definitely going to bring up all the people that I’m thankful for, and there’s so many people that had an impact on me and my career," Johnson said Friday ahead of his enshrinement on Aug. 8. "I’m not going to (have time) to mention everybody. But for the Lions, hey, like I said, I ain’t got nothing to say."
Johnson has been estranged from the Lions since the only team he ever played for made him return $1.6 million in bonus money upon his early retirement in 2016. And he has no interest in fixing things until 'they put that money back in my pocket.'
Lions president Rod Wood said this offseason the relationship is 'headed in the right direction,' and Johnson later confirmed he's had a couple friendly conversations with owner Sheila Ford Hamp over the past several months. But until the Lions show Megatron the money, nothing will change.
"It’s just been a standstill there," Johnson said Friday.
Asked if mending the fence with the franchise matters to him, Johnson said, "It only matters, really, when you talk about lining up for the Hall of Fame and you’re talking football or I have someone on the street who just wants to talk about it. But for me, I’m five years out now. I’m not wasting any time waiting on them."
Johnson said he doesn't even intend to make time for Wood if the two cross paths at the ceremony next month. He chuckled when asked if things might get awkward.
"I’m sure I’m going to run into him, but you know me, I keep it short," Johnson said. "I’ll keep it moving and go about my business. Put it like this, I’m not going to be able to see my family a whole lot during this whole weekend, so I’ll be looking forward to seeing them whenever I get a chance to. So if I pass Rod Wood, I’ma keep it moving."
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Sanders eventually made peace with the Lions and rejoined the organization in 2017 as a team ambassador, a role he still occupies. Johnson is open to a reunion himself, but only if he's reunited with his money first. For Megatron, it's a matter of principle.
"It’s simple," Johnson said in January. "It’s hard for me to do anything for anyone that takes anything from me. I feel like after the things I've done for the organization, that shouldn’t have even been a thought, honestly."
If the Lions and the Ford Family want recognition from Johnson next month, they have a couple more weeks to put that money back in his pocket.
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Other highlights from Johnson's Friday press conference:
On who he would have played for if the Lions had released him: "It ain’t changed, man. It’s Green Bay. I was looking to play for Green Bay, man. I always grew up liking Green Bay and then they had Aaron Rodgers, one of the great quarterbacks. To be able to go in there and watch him, he throws it up, he likes to throw that ball downfield, so that’s right up my alley."
On the outside perception of Matthew Stafford: "For a quarterback, you’re always tied to your wins, man. But for talent in the NFL, shoot, who can throw the ball like this guy? I mean, I got messed up fingers because he throws fastballs all the time, but those fastballs are always on point. His accuracy, he has a gun, he makes throws that you just don’t see. I think back to the Cowboys game (in 2013), that crazy game where I had 300 yards. I just think about that last drive, he threw dimes, two of them to me, but that one to (Kris) Durham he threw like 60 yards across the field on the sideline and just dropped it in his belly. Stuff like that I was used to seeing … I would say greatness, that arm he had right there. It’s a great arm. So hopefully out there in LA he’s able to put it all together."
On retiring without a playoff win: "It sucks to be out of it so many times, to be watching other teams play in the offseason knowing that we got talent here to do that. We just weren’t able to put it all together. But I don’t spend too much time worrying about it. I can only think back to that first game we had in New Orleans and then the robbery in Dallas. I think they were mad at us for what we did to them a couple years before."
On if he regrets retiring early: "Nah, I was going to retire after my eighth season. I didn’t want to be out there. That last season, a lot of people don’t realize, I’ve never been at a point where I didn’t want to play and I would even tell my guys before games, like, 'Dude, I do not want to play today. I don’t feel it.' There was one game my last season, we played at the Rams (in Week 14), I had one catch that game. It was a direct reflection of my attitude going into that game, I feel like. Yeah, everything wasn’t perfect, but at the same time, I did not want to be there. And that’s not how you want to be playing in the NFL. That’s how you get hurt even more."