Calvin Johnson wants his money back, but refuses to put in any work to make it happen.
Last month, it was reported that the Detroit Lions tried to mend the relationship by submitting an official proposal to Johnson to end the stand-off in time before his enshrinement ceremony. The proposal was a three-year agreement that would pay him $500,000 annually for appearance fees, plus a one-time payment of $100,000 to the Calvin Johnson Jr. Foundation. Johnson would’ve been obligated to 28 hours of appearances at various Lions events in his first year, including five hours at a game to induct his No. 81 into the Pride of the Lions.
Johnson was reportedly forced to pay back $1.6 million after retiring.
Johnson recently elaborated on his concerns about the franchise trying to make him work for money that he already worked for.
“What do you make of their efforts to resolve it?” Bensinger asked Johnson.
“Not really an effort,” Johnson said.
So what needs to happen?
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“I’m not saying they got to repay me the $1.6 [million] all up front, but they need to figure out a way to do it, and not have me work for it, because I already did the work for it.”
“That’s a joke,” Johnson told Bensinger. “I put it like this. Imagine you had a friend — well, maybe not even a friend, just somebody. They gave you something and then they take it back. And then are y’all gonna still really hang out? Are y’all still cool? And imagine you did a whole bunch of work for it, too. It’s the principle. It’s the principle of it. You cannot have me back unless you put that money back in my pocket. . . . I’m not working for it.”
Johnson also was asked whether the financial issue triggered Johnson’s failure to mention the Lions in his Hall of Fame induction speech.
“Mama always tell you if you ain’t got nothing good to say, don’t say it at all,” Johnson said.
