DE Brent Johnson (official thread)

[Buckskin86]

B.C.'s Johnson calls it quits
By Lowell Ullrich, The Province March 4, 2012

There will be considerably less fanfare, but the premise of Brent Johnson's decision to retire is no different than the logic applied by Wally Buono when it came time for him to resign a few months ago as coach of the B.C. Lions.

Nothing wrong with going out on top.

The Lions' 35-year-old defensive lineman, who became a pioneer because of performances that made CFL coaches think differently about starting a nonimport at his position, is set to put an end to his 11-year career.

Buono did much the same thing when he announced his retirement after the season, which only officially concluded Friday when he was named 2011 coach of the year at a luncheon held in connection with league meetings in Toronto.

Johnson, who has been working fulltime at a Vancouver investment banking firm since his second Grey Cup victory in November, has been in touch with club officials. With the stage cleared after Buono's win, the Lions will make an announcement about his future Monday, several sources told The Province.

The club had held out hope that Johnson would play a 12th season, knowing that even as a backup he still gives the Lions ratio flexibility, but the player has told teammates that balancing two jobs would be counterproductive.

Johnson preceded Buono by two years when he joined the Lions in 2001 and initially grew frustrated over an inability to win a starting job. But frustration turned into perseverance. The Kingston, Ont., product went on to become the franchise leader in sacks, overtaking James (Quick) Parker.

Though a backup more than a starter in later years, he also effectively played 184 consecutive games until the streak was broken in subsequent weeks near the end of last season due to a concussion and the birth of his first son.

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Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Johnson+calls+quits/6248168/story.html#ixzz1o9lB1zUb

 

[Buckskin86]

Grey Cup a perfect end for a great guy
Johnson was a Lion for 11 years and leaves behind a legacy of loyalty
By Ed Willes, The Province
March 5, 2012

BC Lion Brent Johnson announces his retirement on Monday.
Photograph by: Ric Ernst , PNG

In his three years as a letterman at Ohio State, Brent Johnson made all Big-10 while playing his home games in front of 100,000 fans at Buckeye Stadium. His OSU teams also won both the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl.

?It?s hard to explain how big football is there,? Johnson said Monday.

It?s also hard to explain what happened next.

After a failed tryout with the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, Johnson decided, ?What the hell, I?ll give the CFL a shot,? and attempted to fly to Vancouver on Sept. 11, 2001. After a five-day layover in Minneapolis, occasioned by the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers, Johnson arrived in Vancouver to a Lions team that wasn?t winning and was lucky to draw 18,000 fans to their games.

?I can?t lie to you,? he said. ?I was expecting more.?

And more would come his way. A lot more.

On Monday, 35-year-old Johnson retired after an 11-year career in which he set a team record for sacks, won two Grey Cups, three most-outstanding-player awards and basically established the gold standard for players at his position.

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Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Grey+perfect+great/6254930/story.html#ixzz1oJMHpb1J

Lions' Brent Johnson goes out on his terms
By Gary Kingston, Postmedia News March 5, 2012

B.C. Lions' Brent Johnson celebrates a sack against the Edmonton Eskimos.
Photograph by: Dan Riedlhube , REUTERS

VANCOUVER ? In his well-cut dark suit, his weight down 20 pounds from the Grey Cup game last November, and his close-cropped hair impeccably groomed and not matted with sweat as we are so used to seeing it, Brent Johnson looks every inch the budding investment banker.

At 35, and with perhaps another year in him based on last season?s play, he is walking away from football while he still can.

To manage money, to truly experience a B.C. summer and to see if those powerful legs that helped carry him to so many quarterback sacks can pedal him to new heights of achievement.

?I?m looking forward to re-joining the ranks of normal-sized humans,? the one-time 265-pound defensive end for the B.C. Lions said Monday as he formally announced his retirement after 11 seasons.

?I was even saying to my wife, I left home (Kingston, Ont.) when I was 18 to go to Ohio State to play football. Not that I?d be having a summer off now, but I?ve never really enjoyed just a summer on the weekends to sit back and sort of do whatever you want to do. I?m looking forward to the subtleties that come with retirement.?

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http://www.canada.com/sports/Johnson+announces+retirement/6252599/story.html