On the phone is a former teammate of future Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson. The player remembers a conversation he once had with a small group of Lions teammates, including Johnson. It was about concussions.
The man on the phone says some Detroit offensive players had felt—going back several years—Johnson was going to retire not last season, but the season before. He was, the player said, showing more effects from the wear and tear of playing the most violent sport in the world than in the past. He was limping more. Spending slightly more time with the medical staff, the player said.