The Detroit Lions’ offseason drama doesn’t win rings
The Detroit Lions offseason has taken a turn for the worse by Calvin Johnson, Darius Slay, and Damon Harrison’s money drama. Let’s discuss it!
Here we are just into June, about a month and a half from training camp and what people will likely remember about it are recent events. “Remember the year that Calvin was complaining about his money? It was that same year that Slay and Snacks held out for more money”, fans will say. Here at Kick In the Crotch Weekly we’ll discuss how the offseason is now about money instead of wins.
The recent storylines surround three people, one former player and two current players. Calvin Johnson is back at bad mouthing the Detroit Lions over the way he departed in 2016. Apparently, according to sources, the money that he gave back, part of his prorated signing bonus, is enough to keep him from having anything to do with the franchise for the foreseeable future.
The other big happening is the two star defensive players have asked for new deals. Both players have two years remaining on their current deals and employ the same agent. Damon Harrison, tackle, and Darius Slay, cornerback, have announced that they are holding out for more money.
Let’s look at each set of circumstances separately.
Detroit Lions vs Calvin
Amid the day-to-day grind of minicamp, the excitement of a new year, and the occasional signing are storylines that will kill many fans’ enthusiasm for the upcoming season. Take for example the Calvin Johnson story. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Johnson was quite specific about the rift between he and the Detroit Lions front office.
"“They already know what they got to do,” Johnson told the Free Press at the annual camp he runs for local high school students Saturday in metro Detroit. “The only way they’re going to get me back is they put that money back in my pocket. Nah, you don’t do that. I don’t care what they say. They can put it back, then they can have me back. That’s the bottom line.”"
In a separate article, Birkett believes that Johnson, as a franchise player, is one of only a few superstars who had to pay back signing bonus money. However you feel about the money is really fairly pointless; most people could make the case for either party getting their way.