Gardner-Johnson: Leave the ski masks at home
Safety returns, wants fans to dispense with ‘cursed’ ritual
Trainers knew right away.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson tore his pectoral muscle on the first drive of the Detroit Lions’ Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and when the Lions’ medical staff delivered the news, Gardner-Johnson was adamant he had to finish the game.
“If we win or we lose, they going to know that I’m a dog,” Gardner-Johnson recalled thinking Wednesday. “Regardless if I tore it, broke it. I just want everybody to know I’m the same person. Broke arm, healed arm. Whatever it’s going to be, I’m out there.”
Three months after he underwent surgery to repair an injury that doctors told him would take six months to rehab, Gardner-Johnson returned to the practice field on a limited basis Wednesday.
It’s unclear if he’ll play in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings — the Lions have 21 days to return him to the 53-man roster — but Gardner-Johnson said he’s thrilled to be back with the team after three “lonely” and “dark” months of rehab.
“I pray every night about this situation cause it can happen again, so I don’t wish injury on nobody, bro, and I ain’t never had a serious, serious injury but God willing I’m glad it wasn’t too much to take me down,” he said. “It’s one of those moments, like I said, it’s a learning experience. You learn who you is, you got to humble up cause like I told myself, this team is damn good without me and they’re damn good with me and I’m just glad to be a part of something that’s just thriving.”
The Lions (10-4) can clinch their first division title in 30 years with a win over the Vikings.
Gardner-Johnson, in his first season with the Lions after helping the Philadelphia Eagles reach the Super Bowl last winter, said the team’s goals are even bigger — like getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Lions must win their final three games and have the San Francisco 49ers (11-3) lose
twice for that to happen. Along with the Vikings, they play the Dallas Cowboys on the road and have a second game against the Vikings at home.
“I don’t think a lot of guys understand, you’re in a position right now you can change your life,” Gardner-Johnson said. “You’re fighting for seeds that you ain’t never seen before. Like some guys have, some guys haven’t, but I think right now it’s come in tighter, tune out the noise. You guys call it the Kool-Aid we be drinking, put that (expletive) down and just keep playing ball.”
For Gardner-Johnson, a return to ball is welcomed after three “boring” months when he was mostly isolated from teammates and friends.
He spent most of his days rehabbing at his
home in rural Florida, which he outfitted after last season with an array of rehab tools. He has in-ground hot and cold tubs, massage tables, a full weight room, his own film room and a 60yard football field out back.
Gardner-Johnson said he called his rehab team shortly after surgery and asked to do twoa-day rehab sessions to expedite the healing process.
He adopted two dogs during his time away from football, pit bulls named “Pop” and “Mookie.” And he said he cut about 350 songs.
Gardner-Johnson is in the process of changing his name to “Ceedy Duce,” the alter ego he’s long used as a stage name in the music business.
“I probably say I had more dark days than good days, if that makes sense,” GardnerJohnson
said. “I’m an athlete. Everybody expects everything to be fine and dandy, but, (expletive), you take football away, what you gonna do? This is our life, so just being around the atmosphere and seeing my guys happy and winning, it makes me happy.”
Gardner-Johnson said he kicked his rehab into high gear after the Lions lost to the Chicago Bears earlier this month.
He was cleared to return last week, but admitted Wednesday he still fears “messing up, injur(ies), letting you guys down.”
“I’m scared,” he said. “But it’s like I’ve been doing this since I was a kid so I got to face my fears somewhere by just going out there and doing what I love.”
Whether that happens this week or not is “to be determined,” Gardner-Johnson said, but whenever it does, it likely will be without the blue ski mask he called on fans to wear the game he got hurt but now says is “cursed.”
“It’s boring as hell yelling at that TV, bro,” Gardner-Johnson said. “But I get to yell with them now, so hopefully put on a shirt this weekend.”
Injury report
The only offensive lineman who has not missed a start for the Lions this season is dealing with a shoulder injury.
Right tackle Penei Sewell was limited in practice by the injury Wednesday.
Sewell has been a staple on the Lions’ injury-riddled offensive line this season, starting 12 games at right tackle and two more at left tackle in place of an injured Taylor Decker.
The Lions have used nine different starting offensive line combinations in their 14 games this season. Graham Glasgow is the only other lineman who has played in all 14 games, but he played on special teams and as a backup to Halapoulivaati Vaitai the first two weeks of the season.
Cornerback Jerry Jacobs (hamstring) and tight end Brock Wright (hip) did not practice Wednesday, and linebacker Derrick Barnes (shoulder), defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike, fullback Jason Cabinda (knee) and safety C.J. Gardner Johnson (pectoral) were limited.