The day before the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists will be announced, it will be announced Detroit black Calvin Johnson still on terms of speaking.

The relationship between the team and the best recipient in its franchise history remains lukewarm Since Johnson retired early after the 2015 season, he was then required to pay off a seven-digit portion of the $ 16 million signing bonus.

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“I’d like to say nothing has really changed,” Team Leader Rod Wood said on a conference call on Tuesday. “We strongly support Calvin’s Hall of Fame nomination. Keep trying to communicate with him. But he will require both of us to cooperate on that. Not just us. And I’m not really going to comment on that. But definitely, as I said at the start, that’s my goal.”

But in a text message to Free Press, Johnson denied Wood’s claim of trying to contact him.

Johnson wrote, “This doesn’t mean I’m looking for him, but that would be a complete mistake if he confirms he’s recently reached out to me.”

Wood said in May 2019 that Reestablishing a relationship with Johnson “is a very top priority.The following month, Johnson told the Free Press at an annual camp he runs for high school students in Metro Detroit That money was the main sticking point.

“They already know what to do,” Johnson said at the time. “The only way to get me back is to put the money back in my pocket. No, you don’t. I don’t care what they say. They can return it, then they can return me. That’s the point.”

Hall of Fame 2021 To be determined and announced later this month.

Contact Carlos Monares at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ cmonarrez.