Calvin Johnson Takes On Female Refs And The Future Mrs. Johnson
DETROIT (97.1 The Ticket) In the wake of his much-discussed appearance on the Sports Illustrated cover, superstar Detroit Lions' wide receiver Calvin Johnson took some time with 97.1 The Ticket's Mike Stone and Bill McAllister.
And women were a hot topic.
On the female replacement referees his team faces when the season starts, Johnson seems to think there's a learning curve.
"It'll be the first time, definitely, you start to see more and more female referees on the college level so eventually you figure you might see one, but they are replacement refs," Johnson said. "We've been getting used to them over the preseason so hopefully they're continuing to learn and grow as well as we are with them."
He added: "There was calls that can and cannot be made that we saw that were or were not made, so they're definitely there, but hopefully they'll continue to grow."
His humble parents Calvin Johnson Sr. and Arica Johnson were featured prominently in a recent ESPN story about Johnson, with the interview revealing his mom pulled her children from extracurricular activities if they came home from school with any grade lower than a B. She wouldn't let Johnson play football until he turned 12, fearing it was too dangerous for children.
So, does Mom run the roost?
"I'm not gonna say that because I know my dad, but she was definitely the disciplinarian," Johnson said. "My dad was more the sort to reason with you all the time, so that's kind of her role."
So, how would Mom react if he brought home a woman he wanted to marry?
"You already know," Johnson said, laughing. "If you knew my mom you would already know. She is gonna be a stickler. You'd better come correct if you come into the house."
Talk turned from women to fashion, with Johnson weighing on on the new Georgia Tech honeycomb uniform. Let's just say he's not a fan.
"I'm good with the uniforms I wore when I was there," Johnson said. "I'm not too fond of it, not too fond of it. I'm sure if Nike had it, they would have done a great job. Not to dis Russell (Athletic) because I had Russell when I was there, but I like the originals."
