I'm proud of Calvin Johnson.
In life no one is going to know what's best course of action for you other than yourself and whoever you pray to. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do; that doesn't always mean everyone is going to like what you do.When you're in a situation where you're doing something because it's going to benefit YOU in a positive manner, there's always going to be a group of people that won't understand your decision.
And that's completely fine.
This whole situation with Calvin Johnson retiring early has some folks on the edge because of all the potential money that he's leaving behind. Like let's be real, that's the only reason a lot of people even care about this story. Few people even care about what he can do on the field, they only understand the dollar amount when they google his name. His peers, the Detroit Lions fan base and football purest all know of his accomplishments and his freak of nature athletic ability.
But like all good things in life, there is an end.
That's the one thing that people don't realize here in this situation, there is always an end to everything. In this case, he's thinking long term health after his playing days are numbered. And what athlete isn't these days after a myriad of information regarding long term effects hard hits and slams to the turf have on the human body. Fans and people who don't watch sports at all, that just assume athletes have it well off because they get paid nicely, tend to forget that athletes are indeed humans too.
There is an ugly side to sports and it scares the hell out of even me. It's filled with guys who can't walk ten feet without the assistance of a cane or walker. Guys who lay in bed all day because their feet are so jacked up that they can't stand on them for more than five minutes. Guys that can't make it to the bathroom in the middle of the night fast enough because they can't sit up in bed fast enough. Guys who forget their own name and where they live while in the middle of driving. Guys who take so many hits that they relive play after play until they commit suicide because that's all they see when they are awake and dream at night.
That's the true price majority of athletes pay for playing the game that they love.
So I say to Mr. Calvin Johnson, (who suffers through a lot of his own nagging injuries), leave when you want to leave; you've done all you could and wanted. You have nothing to prove to yourself or to anyone else in this world. The 67,700,000 number that everyone keeps throwing at you is just that 67,700,000. You realize that money isn't of the same importance of your personal happiness. Money is money at the end of the day, you've already made your millions, you don't need anymore.
From the stories that I hear you're a smart man and you've taken care of business where you won't be hurting for money. Everything about you screams "I'm good, I don't need to play football other than I want to", and that's the best position that you can be in. Good news is that you won't be the first to even do this while still in your prime. Gayle Sayers, Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, Jake Locker, Jason Worilds, Patrick Willis, Anthony Davis and Chris Borland all left either right at 30 or before it.
At the end of the day there are those of us who understand your reasoning's. It's just football, it's just a game, your life is worth more than a paycheck. Your family will love you and most importantly, you will get to enjoy them for as long as you can with your health perfectly intact. You've gave us all that we needed and you've been the man since you stepped in.
Enjoy life, enjoy your freedom, you earned it brother.
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