He placed blame on one person for those injuries: his former head coach.
Kerryon Johnson, #33 of the Detroit Lions, runs with the ball during an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 27, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
When asked on Twitter recently why he "never went back to playing," he kept it blunt:
"Because playing for a military general left me down 2 knees and a neck."
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Johnson appeared to be talking about Matt Patricia, who was the head coach of the Lions from 2018 to 2020 before heading back to the New England Patriots, joining a list of players to criticize him.
Johnson played in 16 games just once in his four seasons. His fourth season was when he played just one game.
Kerryon Johnson, #33 of the Detroit Lions, runs with the ball in the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Oct. 14, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
In 2019, Johnson underwent knee surgery that forced him to play in just eight games, and in 2021, his lone game with the San Francisco 49ers was as on special teams.