Calvin Johnson: A Football Life’ Premieres Friday, October 1 at 9:00 PM ET & PT on NFL Network

“Calvin Johnson was a Hall of Fame talent and he had the work ethic of an undrafted player.” – Dan Orlovsky

The 10th season of the Emmy-nominated and highly acclaimed NFL Films-produced series A Football Life continues Friday, October 1 at 9:00 PM ET and PT on NFL Network with a profile of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The one-hour show features sit-down interviews with Johnson, former teammates such as Matthew Stafford, Nate Burleson and Dan Orlovsky, former head coach Jim Caldwell and others.

Among the topics discussed in Calvin Johnson: A Football Life include:

• Growing up in Tyrone, GA and nearly having his athletic career cut short by a diagnosis of Osgood-Schlatter in high school
• The truth behind his 40-yard dash at the 2007 NFL Scouting Combine
• His career with the Detroit Lions, including breaking Jerry Rice’s single season receiving yards record in 2012
• His decision to retire after the 2015 season
• The creation of Primitiv Group and the work he is doing in the cannabis industry
• Footage of his Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony in Detroit on September 26

Emmy-nominated actor Josh Charles narrates.

Calvin Johnson: A Football Life includes interviews with the following people:

• Calvin Johnson
• Brittney Johnson – Wife
• Calvin Johnson Sr. – Father
• Dr. Arica Johnson – Mother
• Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions teammate
• Dan Orlovsky – Detroit Lions teammate
• Nate Burleson – Detroit Lions teammate
• Shawn Jefferson – Former Detroit Lions wide receivers coach
• Jim Caldwell – Former Detroit Lions head coach
• Matt Millen – Former Detroit Lions President  
• Charles Tillman – Former Chicago Bears cornerback
• Reggie Ball – Georgia Tech teammate
• Michael Rosenberg – Former Detroit Free-Press columnist
• Bill Keenist – Former Detroit Lions Vice President, Communications

Provided below are some select quotes from Calvin Johnson: A Football Life:

– “Calvin Johnson was a Hall of Fame talent and he had the work ethic of an undrafted player.” – Dan Orlovsky

– “Just on a normal day, when [Calvin Johnson] is smiling and he’s just out there having a good time, he’s close to unstoppable. But when he sees red, I don’t care if you put some high-top cleats on Jesus, Calvin is going to route him up.” – Nate Burleson

– “I compare him to Randy Moss…Just a bigger, stronger guy. Could have easily probably played tight end.” – Charles Tillman

– “A couple of things they told me to expect was that this is a blue-collar city. The fans are going to want to see you work. That mentality, that grind – that’s what I was raised around.” – Calvin Johnson on being drafted by the Detroit Lions

– “He never wants to miss anything; he never wants to miss practice, he never wants to be perceived as ever taking time off.” – Jim Caldwell

– “I didn’t want to be a distraction to the city, to the team because I knew that’s exactly what it would have been once I said that. It would be no longer about the Lions because they’re not going to the playoffs, it’s going to be about you retiring and that’s all the questions I’m going to field the rest of the season.” – Calvin Johnson on his retirement 

– “It’s not just that he wants people to smoke cannabis. He wants people to have wellness out of this. He wants people to be able to heal portions of their body and feel better, and he’s looking at the cognitive effects that it can have on people.” – Brittney Johnson on the Primitiv Group

– “I’m not going to say he was shy or anything, but I saw him come alive – I saw him become his own person – through sports.” – Dr. Arica Johnson

All NFL Network programming – including episodes of A Football Life – is available across multiple devices (smartphone, PC, tablet and connected TVs) through the NFL app and NFL Network app for subscribers of participating NFL Network providers. Visit NFL.com/watch for more information on how to watch.

Below is a broadcast schedule for remaining episodes of A Football Life this season:

• December 3 – Drew Pearson
• December 24 – John Lynch

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