I for one am not. While I do think it was petty of the Lions to try to get a portion of the signing bonus returned, especially when looking at a relatively paltry sum, I am to the point of being disgusted by Calvin’s behavior. I acknowledge his greatness but his demeanor and child like behavior is driving him out of my cherished memories. I believe he made $113m in his career and he’s going to pout like a baby because HE voided the contract and it cost him less than 1% of his total earnings? In any other business (and the NFL is a business) I would expect to give back the prorated portion of any signing bonus. So I say suck it Calvin. I hope your acceptance speech is met with the sound of crickets.
5 Likes
Except in the NFL the general rule is for a retiring player, especially someone of Calvin’s caliber does NOT give back their signing bonus (Andrew Luck $25M, Tony Romo $5M and countless others). The reason being that it’s not really a signing bonus, it’s just a tool to manipulate the salary cap.
Yes, I will watch it and I will enjoy him dissing the Lions and I hope he mentions Rod Wood’s incompetent a$$ by name.
5 Likes
No. No interest whatsoever.
2 Likes
Calvin was awesome on the field. But he didn’t move the needle, in his playing days, off the field. He didn’t do a lot of interviews. He didn’t raise the profile of the Lions in any noticeable way. So my answer is no. I’m not watching.
1 Like
Will there be free ganja?
3 Likes
I’ve never watched an induction speech before from anyone. Won’t watch this one. Appreciate him and what he did on the field.
3 Likes
I’ve never watched one live. Think I may have watched highlights or segments of one here and there.
4 Likes
Same - only a couple though - the Magic Johnson one where Bird told the story was hilarious.
Just watch the first few minutes of Bird talking - hilarious
I won’t be watching, I mean what’s Calvin really suppose to say.
“Thanks for watching and supporting me throughout my short career, I had many great regular season catches that led to us winning absolutely nothing. Thanks Matt Stafford for throwing so many jump balls to me in triple coverage. I wanted to keep playing but the Lions wouldn’t trade me, so I retired, thanks for coming out everyone, now let’s all hit the bong with my new hall of fame strain”
That sums it up pretty good I think, lol
5 Likes
The only HOF speech I would watch is Ricky Henderson. The ball must have hit him right in the temple on every steal attempt. He makes Mike Tyson sound like a poet laureate.
He could talk about how good football has been to him and his family, and how he got to play a game for a millions of dollars that he would have played for free. He gets to be a millionaire to just be himself, and how he’s set up for life because he played for a decade…literally played to get money. I understand there’s hard work behind it, but it’s fun. Most of us did it for free, and worked really, really hard too (God just gives some of us talent…while others get handsomeness, except in the case of Fox, where that person literally gets everything).
When is Legatron getting inducted? That will be worth watching.
1 Like
Carlos wrote an article about this apparently, and it’s behind a paywall… wow, a paywall working in my favor!
7 Likes
I’m going to stop you right there. In any business people expect to be treated like other people in the same business with the same stature are treated. Its something that is universally true regardless of the business you are in. If it was common for people like Calvin to pay back signing bonus this would be a non-issue. Its not.
1 Like
It’s also a general rule that players speak fondly of their former team that they played their entire career with. Even though in MOST cases, they were let go in a manner that the player would not have preferred, if it was 100% their choice on how to go out. Most are cut or asked to take huge pay cuts and are not peachy keen with that. Yet very very few make it their mission in life to poor mouth their former team, go to other NFL teams offseason activities, but not theirs and somehow totally lack the ability to appreciate the hundred plus million dollars he was given and only seem to focus on the 1M he didn’t get. Then there’s Calvin. I hope he does fake his way through it and not make it a spectacle of hate. But you never know.
1 Like
He does. Have you actually watched the interviews?
Oh wait…I’m going to guess that answer is what it always is when I say that. 
1 Like
I generally read them but I’ve read plenty of them.
There is zero chance you sit and read an entire transcript of “plenty of interviews.” Which means you are reading summaries. And the summaries lack context and in a clickbait world we get the version of the interview the author wants us to get. “Calvin loved the Bears Monday Night game and considers it one of the best moments of his life and adores the fans of Detroit” doesn’t get as many clicks. So its not emphasized in the summary.
The interviews give things context. The interviews show you how many topics were discussed, and how much he talks fondly of the Lions. The interviews will show you instances where a direct question was asked to Calvin about the bonus situation…he makes a quick comment and moves on…but it dominates clickbait headlines that people here eat up.
Interviewer: “It had to suck when the Lions took some of your money away, right? Be honest, bro. It sucked, right?”
Calvin: “Well yeah. Of course.”
Headline: “Calvin Johnson says Lions suck!!!”
3 Likes
Wait
So
As a
Fan
From
His behavior
You feel too disgusted to support him ?
You sound a lot like Calvin. Same behavior you’re condemning.
Instead of being grateful for his focused hall of fame effort and excitement he gave you as you watched poor lions teams
See iMO
It’s about the respect for Calvin
And he won’t need any lions fans to watch
Nor the Lions to be a part of it
He’ll be in a gold jacket forever immortalized with the other legends on the game.
It’s ironic because I read your take as feeling Calvin disrespected things , didn’t act accordingly
Yet from Calvin’s POV
This is probably the same way he feels about Lions.
Lions could’ve saved us if they just signed Kris Durham for big money instead.
Just like you can’t get over Cslvin
He can’t get over Wood and Co
Besides the first ballot hall of fame platform set to celebrate the lions greatness !
Or those prime time games