The Lion's Organization even asked Barry Sanders to give his signing bonus back when he retired....smh 😓

As a life long Lion's fan, Calvin was one of the primary reasons we went to Lion's games when they couldn't win. Everyone knew he put his body on the line every game, every play. All I can say to Lion's management is if you want to change the culture like you say you want to, pay Megatron and be over with this. To billionaires, this is a drop in the bucket and looks like you don't want to swallow any Lion's pride. CJ is a generational player and to piss this away like you are doing shows true colors IMO. Actions speak louder than words.

Man Lions fans are loyal to the soil, much respect

Graham is probably my favorite interviewer dude knows how to guide a conversation & get good answers to his questions by asking very clear & concise questions

Classless for the organization which he undoubtedly made TENS OF MILLIONS of dollars, if not more, to screw him out of $1.6 million. I get that the dude left early, but check the jersey sales, look at HIS HANDS, this dude sacrificed his body, of course he retired early.

Johnson was a beast on the field! I just wish he would made his way over to the Packers haha! HoF well earned and wish him well.

I met CJ my second day on the job at Gage when he was trying to become an investor 💨 dude is tall as shit and super cool, wish I got a photo with him, all I got was a nod 😭 still felt great to see him in person, living legend 🔥

A single organization squandering years of having (arguably) the best running back and receiver of all time, certainly of their generations, should be a crime.

And the lions owner was mercilessly booed lol

“You Was Disappointed But You Never Stopped Showing Up! Every Week You Showed Up!” 😭😭😭

And so the Lions curse remains. PAY THE MAN

Thank you Calvin

Was a lions fan and fan of Calvin he was the best receiver in loin history but he was spent at the last couple years he played for us I consider him one of us he earned his money and should have been payed his tank was empty he could have played longer but he would have been a shell of the player he was

It's sad to think about. Megatron on a better team with a longer career would've been the clear 🐐

It’s the principles. To everyone talking about “contracts” how many teams you know acts petty to their franchise greatest? In any sport?

To all of you typing out the side of your phone or keyboard. He said it “it’s the principle”

I get bothered by fans that criticize NFL players for holding out to get the money they deserve. When the players get injured and their careers are over they get forgotten. I never criticize players for getting the bag.

Nice energy dude

Okay, here me out. Look at 1:50 to 2:05 of this interview. Tell me he ain't got the famous Barry Sanders "one eyebrow raised while he talking" for the interview. Does Detroit do this to their star athletes or am I tripping? 😂😂😂

What a difference from how Mike Ilitch ran the Red Wings and Tigers. You never hear former Red Wings and Tigers players talking about him like this. It's the opposite. They always talk about how Mike made them feel like family and the Wings and Tigers always took care of their players and the players families.

The Lions cant just pay it back. They used it for cap relief at the time. It would be used as a cap loophole. I always say they should hire him as a brand absador give him the 1.6+ upfront as a bonus and then obviously compensate him for his time after

Detroit is a terrible organization glad Matthew got outta there

I honestly couldn’t give a half a fuck how much the lions “owe him”. Why does he think he’s owed money when he didn’t play out his contract.

As a Lion’s fan, I hate the Lions 😭

About the same effort the owners put in

Damn, the lion’s organization is horrible. Barry and Megatron? Fail.

Gotta swap the owners out for people who care more

Just pay him back. We can’t move forward with the culture we are building untill that happens

Pay the man

Did da same With Barry

He sound like Lebron 😂😂😂

Reminds me of my boss

Megatron was born with The People's Eyebrow

Fucking Ford Family did nothing to establish a good foundation for 2 Hall of Fame Players and 1 on the way there (Stafford).

One of the greatest of all time! He probably earned the Lions an enormous amount of dough in merchandise alone, let alone football sales. But, I’m a believer that a contract is a contract - honor it or else. However, teams release players religiously to save money, thereby not honoring contracts. Players are the lifeblood of the NFL, not owners. However, I disagree that players should be paid for work done in the past. That would be a bad example to set for the youth going forward. In my opinion, contracts should just include solutions to these dilemmas so the brand and players don’t look greedy to a nation struggling through a pandemic. Nobody cares that either of you have 1.6M when families are broke - the very families that collectively provided you 1.6M to argue about. My two cents.

The fords need to sale the team period. We will forever be cursed under then.

Best WR of the 2010’s

Britney got her say in the interview, maybe she's his lawyer and manager too

Johnson was a great player. He reneged on his contract and had to pay back money he wasn't contractually entitled to. Playing in the NFL doesn't get you entitlement to be treated like part of the owner's family. It is a business. So what if other teams' owners treat their players better, then go play for them. Become a FA and walk. That is your right. But to sit there and whine that they took back money you didn't earn makes you an entitled pos. Great player. pos human. Also, idgaf what his wife has to say. She is nothing and her opinions or expectations in Calvin Johnson's work life are nothing.

It's business you're paid to work amd entertain the crowd. You got records that are legendary Mr. Johnson NFL has always done this to players it won't stop.

pay the man his money.

Megatron shudb paid 2M+ just 2b representative!

Its an embarrassment to the Lions fans that one of the best players in the teams history is treated like this. In my opinion just shows why the Lions franchise will never be successful, will never be a winner. Team ownership and leadership are failures. If not for the loyal fans coming to see the team play every week, you would have been broke a long time ago

It’s the Ford Motor Company you think they care. One of the greatest wide receivers!

Ooohh Calvin. I appreciate the sentiment. But you're too much of one of my favorite players to say the fans loved you "unconditionally". Just say they showed you a lot of appreciation over throughout your career.

Rice Owens Moss Johnson

the owners still make money, they have literally 0 incentive to care about winning

Calvin might be in financial trouble. For a guy who didn't say a word his whole career but made 16 mill a year playing. Now being all over headlines over 1.6 million, after taxes we'll say 1 million

I think the owners knew he was doing drugs thats why they didnt want him back. No more weed.

Did the same to #20... THE ABSOLUTE GOAT RB... FIGHT ME EMMIT FANS! How pathetic that the same script is played over and over with some of the game's greatest players! It angers me. Then you see other teams and how they give essentially "the key to the city on a flying red carpet". And... AND...that key opens the vault to golden opportunities and boundless goodwill toward the city that embraced said player. Who, by the way, forked over hard earned dollars to keep you in the business of giving the fans what they pay to see. How do you NOT honor, first of all, arguably, the GOAT (we can have a conversation about Jerry Rice... I said arguably) for making the team worth going to see for no other reason than said GOAT? And secondly are you THAT PETTY to take back pocket lint when you could have simply said, "Keep the change. Consider it a Thank You" for, again... The GOAT (arguably...)? No wonder we can't get anybody to play here or stay here when their rookie contract is up. Don't think we haven't noticed you pimping washed up veterans for name recognition... Reggie Bush, AP, Kyle Van den Bosch, Anquan Bolden... I can go on. Some of whom played well, but not like they used to, completely wasted TJ Duckett though... Stop being petty. I'm so glad I get to watch Stafford. I've always kinda liked the Rams but never really had a Team B until this year. Keep it up, Detroit... and I may fully defect (never thought I would hear myself say that).

As a life long lions fan. Matt and Calvin were the best thing that this franchise ever did. Y’all did right by Matt by letting him go to LA even tho Carolinas offer was better. DO RIGHT BY CLAVIN AND GIVE HIM HIS FUCKING MONEY. It’s that simple, Shiela should’ve wrote the damn check the second she took over team management. I’d go as far as to say that they should pay him back with interest. We wasted that mans career and team management has the nerve to make him pay back the team. That’s why free agents don’t pick Detroit, the city is already a mess who would willing step into a work environment with that history?! Write the check.

Look at the way they did Barry.

He did the work pay the man point blank. This is why people dont Want to work nowadays.

Lions don't care about winning

The Lions can fix it easy. Pull up in two of the most high end Fords with $1M cash in each (that MIGHT take care of the interest). #OnePride #MegaTron 🐐🐐🐐

This is petty AF! The man made over $100 million in his short career! DET could have asked for all 3.4 million back, but only asked for 1/2 of what he was pre-paid to the contractual obligation the organization has to legally recoup! 5 years later, with all the cap space and other legal definitions/deficiencies, as well as a downgraded cap space. CJ wants to speak out?!?! I love CJ to death! But with this constant badgering and negative PR that he brings out on a weekly basis, If I were upper management, I'd go ahead and have my legal team hit him up for the other $1.6 million to pay back to the organization and wash my hand with him. HOF or not, CJ is and will never be an ambassador! Even his wife preluded to that!

Calvin Johnson signed a long term extension deal. With a 3.2 million bonus. He only made it 2 years on his on his deal. The Lions wanted half the bonus back they could have taken the whole 3.2 million. As a non privileged blue collar worker I have signed onto jobs with bonuses never once did I think if I quit less than half way through a contract I would keep the bonus. Greedy

Maybe play out your contract , then you get all the money .... What am I missing here ?

As much as I like CJ, I believe he is wrong. You weren't on the roster; so why pay the 1.6 million. You were the highest paid WR in history. We never won a playoff game and we were no where near a Super Bowl. If you care about Detroit, come support the team that made you financially set for generations.

Detroit Lions organization…. you had the Greatest RB ever and the second best Wide Receiver in history, you treated both of them like trash. Lions organization is TRASH!!!

Imagine making over $100 million and still complain that you’re not respected or treated right. Just a pawn? Get over yourself. Good grief you’re playing a children’s game and retire before 30. Unreal.

With distractions like this, CJ will have a hard time landing a gig with the Lions. I don't know the full details of the prior contract but emotions shouldn't be driving the discussions.

As much as I like Calvin johnson, I don't agree with him. Signing bonuses are generally always contingent on finishing a contract. If you don't finish out your contract you owe back the signing bonus. I think Calvin Johnson is justified and not liking the organization because I don't think it's a great run organization. But I also think Calvin Johnson is miffed that basically he has to play by the same rules normal people do. If I go into work tomorrow and say that I'm done I owe my signing bonus back. I work for a good company but let's suppose I work for a bad company. Just because they're not a good company doesn't mean that gives me any right to have that money - when I signed a contract agreeing that I would pay it back if I didn't finish the contract

Cal you have no win in this situation.

The Lions should pay him back just so he could lift the curse. Oh, and Fire Rod Wood. Megatron, I'm with you. You should get your bonus money back but please quit beating a dead horse.

So he had a contract and he didn’t fulfill it ? He should pay the money back ……why does everyone want something for nothing ? He is a spoiled typical athlete

This dude lost a fan… grow TF up! Lions let you keep half the money you owed them. Highest paid receiver of all time. And he can’t quit crying! It’s a business d bag! Never realized how immature or arrogant he is until now. “I’m 240 but I move like a ninja!” Blah blah blah..

Sorry, they DID find a way to give him back the full amount he didn't actually earn that he feels entitled to (again, it was an advanced payment on a season he didn't fulfill). He said no. They came up with a 3 year plan that includes an "unbearable" 28 hours a year ambassadorship, which would comply with league rules regarding salary cap avoidance. Otherwise the team could be subject to a penalty that can include a first round pick. I guess what he wants is to be paid 1.6 million he didn't actually earn, AND have the team give up a first round draft pick, apparently that would somehow make him happy. He's kind of right, someone in this equations isn't making any effort whatsoever. Go smoke your pot, and will the media just stop talking about this guy. He's retired, done and gone.

“Ensuring this doesn’t happen to other players… if you have people that are the face of the organization and working hard, steps have to be made that they feel respected on their way out” Why is she even being interviewed… lions made him the highest paid WR of all time as one of the worst teams.

Calvin is just being Petty. And so are the Lions. Technically the Lions are right tho. At this point both sides should just give it up...lol. He tries to make it seem like the Lions are wrong. It's just business

Embarrassing

Calvin got paid in advance for 7 year service. He only played 4 of those years. He did not live up to his end of the agreement & owed $6 million back. Lions said payback $1.6 million back but can have that if you do 28 hours a year of something for lions organization for 3 years. So 3 1/2 days a year work. Calvin only cares abouts his weed business.

One great football player but walked on a deal so you pay it back ! That’s life

They offered his ass the money (that he isn't owed) and he turned it down. He's a whiney baby.

Give it a rest CJ, you Big ole Crybaby.

this is not a good look for Calvin, sounds like a whiner. he has a point but get over it and move on.

Homie needs a lesson in business