Ravens Ex Breaks Silence On Bizarre Weather Suspension

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Ravens Ex Breaks Silence On Bizarre Weather Suspension originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It gets cold in Baltimore. Especially in December near the later portions of the NFL schedule.
This shouldn't have been a surprise to most of the Baltimore Ravens players, who had played two home games in November in chilly conditions and were expecting the frigid temps to intensify for their mid-afternoon Week 13 bout with the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium.
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But for receiver Diontae Johnson it was unbearable. To the point where he was unable to do his job ... or at least preferred not to.
When fellow pass-catcher Rashod Bateman went down with an injury earlier in the game, Johnson was called to take his teammates place on the field.
Johnson elected to keep his puffy jacket on, which ultimately led to an ugly end to his Ravens career shortly thereafter.
Johnson recently appeared on The Comeback podcast to explain the situation of him refusing to enter the game against the Eagles.
"It was cold. So, I'm on the sideline, just standing there, just going to the heater – back and forth – just waiting to hear my name called," Johnson said. "So, end of third going into the fourth, they're like, 'Tae, we need you.' I'm like, 'Nah.' To me, I'm thinking, 'I don't think it's a good idea for me,' because I was thinking about, like, my legs – I don't want to go out there and put bad stuff on film.
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"It's not like I didn't want to go in the game, but you've got to think, like, leading up to this point, I'd been through so much."
Johnson started his career playing five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers - another notoriously cold playing environment. His time in the Steel City came to an end after remnants of poor relationships and attitudes permeated throughout the locker room about Johnson - those actions don't typically fly under Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh (ask George Pickens or Chase Claypool). He had been traded to Baltimore from the Carolina Panthers midway through the season.
About the Week 13 game, Johnson acknowledged that this act was the cause of his suspension. He then figured things weren't going to get much better and that he should get out while he has the chance.
"I'd checked out mentally. I was like, 'Whatever happens, happens.' I was just rolling with the punches at that time. So, I told them I wasn't going in. I was like, 'I understand what you're saying, but I'm not going to go in.' So, I just sat on the bench, and that's when they suspended me.
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"I already knew if I went back, I was going to be in the doghouse even more," Johnson said. "So, I just asked to get released, and I got picked up by Houston."
Johnson was issued a suspension by the team for Baltimore's Week 14 game at the New York Giants. He was released a week later. After his acquisition, Johnson appeared in just one game with the Houston Texans at the end of last season before getting waived.
The six-year receiver joined the Cleveland Browns this offseason on a one-year free agency contract.
Newsflash: it snows in Cleveland, too.
His response? Johnson said ...
"I'm not even trying to think about that."
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.