“I want to thank Lions fans, the city of Detroit, my teammates and coaches”: Calvin Johnson throws subtle shade at Detroit Lions organization in HOF speech

Calvin “Megatron” Johnson was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday Night. He gave a great speech and thanked a lot of people, but did not thank the Lions organization, with whom he spent 9 years

Johnson’s career was nothing short of legendary. He was a six-time pro-bowler and was named to the All-Pro team 3 times. And Johnson also holds the all-time record for most receiving yards in a season with a mammoth 1,964 yards.

In his 9 year career, Johnson was always a top one or two receiver in the league. Nobody could stop him in his prime, he was the definition of a matchup nightmare.

However, he never played with elite talent around him, and that cost him a chance at a Super Bowl win.

Detroit only made the postseason twice during Johnson’s career, once in 2011 and once in 2014. Both times they lost in the Wild Card round. Between those seasons and all the other ones during Megatron’s prime, there was a lot of losing and a lot of disappointment. It definitely upset Johnson because he knew how good he was and how much he deserved to win.

Calvin Johnson threw shade at Lions’ organization in HOF speech.

Johnson did not thank the Lions’ front office or organization. He did thank his teammates, coaches, trainers, etc.

“Lions fans and the city of Detroit,” Johnson said. “When we were 0-16, you never stopped showing up. You were disappointed, but you never stopped showing up. Every week, you showed up. This motivated me to do the same thing for you. You loved me and my family unconditionally over these 15 years. I want you to know: Michigan is our home. Detroit is our city. Lions fans are our pride.”