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USA Today
10 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Panthers WR reveals why he infamously refused to enter a game last season
Former Carolina Panther Diontae Johnson might be a fair-weather wideout. Johnson, now a member of the Cleveland Browns, appeared on a recent episode of the Sports & Suits podcast. He was asked about his short time with the Panthers, who he still holds in high regard. "I love Carolina," Johnson stated. "Coaches, Coach [Dave] Canales there . . . just how he bringing the energy there every day, you wanna practice for him. We wasn't, obviously, winning, and I came from an environment where I'm used to winning. So I wasn't kinda used to it. Stuff kinda went left, and then it was always one thing after the next. But I still got a good relationship with Coach Canales. So, whenever he call me, I make sure I pick up." The Panthers acquired Johnson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the start of the 2024 league year. Carolina, however, shipped the former Pro Bowler back out just eight weeks into the season—sending him to the Baltimore Ravens in late October. That's where he'd infamously refuse to enter the team's Week 13 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, a move that eventually got him suspended and released. Johnson explained the reasoning behind his decision. "I wasn't getting into no run plays, no passing plays, no nothing. It was cold," he said. "End of the third, going into the fourth—they were like, 'Tae, we need you.' I'm like, 'Nah, I don't think it's a good idea for me.' 'Cause I was thinking my legs [were ice-cold] . . . I didn't wanna go out there and put bad stuff on film." Johnson would then be picked up by the Houston Texans ahead of their wild-card round matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. But after he reportedly "made a scene" at his locker following the win, the veteran receiver was once again let go. But hey—at least he's now somewhere that isn't too cold during the later seasons. Oh, wait . . . Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
USA Today
13 hours ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Diontae Johnson admits he refused to enter a game because he was cold
Baltimore was too cold for former Ravens receiver Diontae Johnson. Perhaps the weather in, uh, Cleveland will be more agreeable for one of the Browns' newest pass-catchers. In a recent interview with the Sports & Suits podcast, Johnson confessed that he refused to enter a game for the Ravens last season because he was cold. "End of the third going into the fourth, they were like, 'Tae, we need you,'" Johnson said. "I was like, 'Nah, I don't think it's a good idea for me.' Like, my legs are already ice cold and I didn't wanna go out there and put bad stuff on film." According to the National Weather Service, the Baltimore area experienced a high of 44 degrees and a low of 21 degrees on Dec. 1, 2024, the date of the game in question: a Ravens Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. CLEVELAND BROWNS NEWS: Team had dramatic 2025 draft. How does rookie class look? Johnson went on to say that his business decision was the reason the Ravens, who had acquired him at the trade deadline from the Carolina Panthers earlier in the season, suspended him for one game. Baltimore waived him a week after he served his suspension, and the Houston Texans claimed him a few days later. The former Raven didn't stick in Houston long. He also told Sports & Suits that the Texans prioritized their younger guys for playing time after he joined the team. Before long, Johnson said he "checked out mentally." "After that, they said I was a distraction and they released me," the veteran said. Houston waived Johnson after Week 18, and the Ravens re-claimed the wideout. But he was ineligible to play the remainder of the postseason and became a free agent after Baltimore lost their divisional round playoff game. SHEDEUR SANDERS: Browns QB pays speeding tickets, addresses citations at team event Johnson finished the 2024 season with 33 catches for 375 yards and three touchdowns across stints with three different teams. In April, Johnson signed a one-year, $1.17 million deal with the Browns. According to data collected by the National Weather Service, average temperatures in Cleveland during the fall months of the football season — between September and November — have hovered around four degrees colder than Baltimore since 2000. In the winter months of December and January, temperatures in Cleveland have been an average of 6.5 degrees colder than in Baltimore during the same period. All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
