Calvin Johnson: Detroit Lions 'wanted me to change my story' about suffering concussions

Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press

Two former Detroit Lions football players publicly criticized the team Friday for the way it handled concussions under former coaches Jim Caldwell and Jim Schwartz.

Wide receiver Calvin Johnson said in a Sports Illustrated interview that the Lions "wanted me to change my story" about suffering a concussion in a 2012 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson takes a break from the Hard Count Athletics presents Megaton Camp at Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac on Saturday, April 28, 2018 to talk with the media.
Johnson was at his football camp teaching over 100 kids football drills and techniques in his first annual camp at the indoor soccer field.

Johnson detailed other injuries he suffered during his time with the Lions within the article, and former teammate and offensive lineman Travis Swanson expressed his support for Johnson by retweeting a link to the story with the comment: "100 percent true. They didn’t put me in front of a doctor for an entire week in 2016."

Johnson, who remains at odds with the team after it made him pay back a seven-figure portion of his signing bonus upon his retirement in March 2016, was injured in a Sept. 30, 2012, game against the Vikings on a helmet-to-helmet hit by linebacker Chad Greenway.

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He missed six offensive plays because of the injury, returned for the Lions' next offensive series and said on multiple occasions after the game that he suffered a concussion on the play.

Weeks later, before the Lions and Vikings played their second game of the season, Johnson referred to his injury as a concussion, only to issue a statement disputing his own claims.

In this Nov. 26, 2015, file photo, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81), defended by Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Eric Rowe (32), catches a pass for a touchdown during the second half in Detroit.

"I would like to clarify some of my comments from yesterday. I am aware that I did not suffer a concussion in our game against the Vikings earlier this year. I misused the terms ‘nerve damage’ and ‘concussion,' " the statement read. “I have not suffered any nerve damage nor have I received any treatment for nerve damage. I did suffer a stringer in the game against Minnesota and also have experienced the kind of wear and tear that most NFL players are dealing with at this point in the season.”

In his interview with Sports Illustrated, Johnson said he suffered at least nine concussions during his NFL career, including one on that Greenway hit.

"I knew I was concussed because I blacked out," Johnson said. "I wasn’t seeing straight. And they wanted me to change my story.”

Detroit Lions center Travis Swanson walks off the field before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 9, 2016, at Ford Field.

Swanson missed the end of both the 2016 and 2017 seasons because of brain injuries he suffered on the field.

In 2016, the season referenced in Swanson's tweet, Swanson played every snap in a December game against the New Orleans Saints, then self-reported a concussion to the team after the game.

The Lions kept Swanson on the active roster for the remainder of the season, though he never returned to action.

In 2017, Swanson again self-reported a concussion after playing every snap in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions placed Swanson on injured reserve to finish that season, though the Free Press reported after the season that the Lions and Swanson's representatives were at odds over the diagnosis of his injury.

Calvin Johnson dunks the ball over the goal post after his third-quarter touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in Detroit on Nov. 28, 2013.

Reached by telephone Friday, Swanson said he was "not happy whatsoever" with how the Lions diagnosed and handled his concussion issues, though he declined to provide any details.

"We're three years removed from that whole thing and I’ve thought about it ever since it happened," Swanson said. "And it’s just something that I try to, I don’t like to put the cart in front of the horse type deal, just 'cause this is a very big thing, could be, so I just kind of got to make sure, we make sure what we’re about to get into and do before we do it.

Lions center Travis Swanson suffers an injury in the second half against the Vikings at Ford Field, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017.

"I appreciate you reaching out. I just, I saw the tweet about the Calvin story and the video and read the article and there was just a lot of stuff in there that I was like, one, how I view Calvin and look up to him and what he did for me in those couple years that we were teammates, he was phenomenal for me to be around and I consider him a friend.

"And just to see him then be able to kind of sit down and this big interview on a big platform and kind of say the things he said, I just kind of thought it was kind of the right thing to say because it’s true. The things that you hear and the things that people hear and stuff like that, so I guess that’s kind of why I put that out there without saying too much."

Lions center Travis Swanson prepares to hike the football to quarterback Matthew Stafford against the Eagles on Oct. 9, 2016.

Swanson, who announced his retirement from the NFL in May, said he has lost 50 pounds in retirement and is dealing with general "pain from the game" but nothing related to any brain injuries he suffered. .

"There’s obviously been a lot of guys come out throughout the years that have sort of said stuff," Swanson said. "Like think back to Calvin and (DeAndre) Levy and stuff like that. And I’ve personally kind of gone back and forth for a while between how do I go about this, what do I say, when do I say it, just 'cause there are so many details, I’m just saying personally from my situation back then.

"I mean, there are just so many details that took place that no one knows about that one day. I think there’s without a doubt in my mind, one day those details will be revealed. I just have to kind of go and just kind of sort things out amongst me and my family as opposed to sort of when the right time is for that, if that makes sense."

Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy looks on during the first quarter against the Bears on Dec. 11, 2016 at Ford Field.

Johnson has said repeatedly that he retired from the NFL after nine seasons because of the toll the game took on his body — he also suffered an assortment of knee, ankle and finger injuries — and because of all the losing he suffered with the Lions.

Levy filed a grievance against the Lions after he was released in the spring of 2017 after two injury-riddled seasons.

The Lions, in a written statement, said Friday: "We respect the privacy of individual players' medical situations and take great pride in the extensive work done by our medical staff and executive team to ensure we follow the appropriate protocols with respect to player health and safety. The well-being of our players will continue to be an organizational priority."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Read more on the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.