The former wide receiver and Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp shared a productive phone call
Calvin Johnson is Canton bound and working to repair his relationship with the Lions.
The former Lions star wide receiver is among the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2021 and will be inducted in his first year of eligibility. Johnson was informed of the honor on Saturday during NFL Honors.
After the announcement, Johnson made it known that he and the Lions organization are working toward reconciliation after speaking with team owner Shelia Ford Hamp.
"You know, I really do hope it does," Johnson said Sunday in a Hall of Fame conference call. "I think that I know that myself and Sheila Hamp, we've had some great conversations recently, and it's been good to get to know her and just really have those face-to-face conversations. So I think that we're moving in the right direction."
Johnson, 35, who retired in 2015, left the Lions on bad terms. The two sides were at odds with each other over Johnson's having to return the $1 million signing bonus he had been given at the start of his last contract.
Megatron has not made any appearances or had an association with the Lions since his retirement, and Hamp would love to repair the relationship.
"I hope we can repair things with Calvin Johnson," Hamp told ESPN in January. "He was obviously an amazing player for us and we're going to continue to reach out to him and hope that we can repair things because I think it's important that he come back into the Lions family."
Johnson played his entire career in Detroit and is the Lions' all-time leader in receptions (731), receiving yards (11,619) and receiving touchdowns (83).