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Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson was back on the field for the Detroit Lions Sunday in a new capacity.
The former Detroit star, who says his tense financial relationship with his old team is improving, hosted a high school football camp for ninth to 12th graders of all positions in partnership with the Lions, ESPN’s Eric Woodyard reported.
“I always say (chief operating officer) Mike Disner’s been a huge part of bringing this thing back together with the team,” Johnson said. “So I’m appreciative of them, appreciative of the whole organization allowing me to have it here and collabing with me in doing that because it’s a heck of an experience for these kids.”
Eric Woodyard @E_Woodyard
Calvin Johnson returned to Allen Park to host a football camp in partnership w/ the #Lions. He was also present for OTAs and minicamp, as the franchise tries to fix its relationship with the HOFer. He says “it feels good to be around the guys,” but doesn’t have a designated role. pic.twitter.com/YaUyHmPBkh
The camp, which was hosted by Johnson’s charitable foundation, was free and featured “a variety of sessions from experts in the field,” according to a social media post.
Johnson clashed publicly with his former team after he said he was forced to repay $1.6 million of his signing bonus following his 2015 retirement.
NFL teams are allowed to recoup a prorated signing bonus from retiring players but, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press put it, “do not (usually) pursue signing bonus prorations when players of Johnson’s magnitude retire.” From 2007 to 2015, the wide receiver broke multiple NFL records and was named to six straight Pro Bowls on his way to becoming one of the best players in Lions franchise history.
In February, however, Johnson told Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post that his relationship with the Lions was “trending up.”
Johnson made an appearance at a May OTA session and returned for minicamp on Thursday before hosting his youth football camp, Woodyard reported.
“I don’t know, I just want to be here for the team, and for the players,” Johnson said Sunday. “I’ve got a lot of experience, on and off the field, so I’d love to share it.”
