Cleveland Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson will play for his third AFC North team in the 2025 NFL season. After spending the first five seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Johnson shared the 2024 season between the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.
It was with the Ravens that one of his biggest controversies to date happened. The 28-year-old wide receiver refused to enter last season's Week 13 duel against the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fans at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 1, where the temperature was 41 degrees at kickoff, saw Johnson refusing to enter the game after Rashod Bateman exited with an injury. Johnson declined, which resulted in a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team and his subsequent waiving.
During an appearance on the "Sports & Suits" podcast (via the Ravens' official site), Johnson opened up on his infamous situation. He blamed the temperature for his decision, which could have hurt his performance.
"It was cold," Johnson said. "So, I'm on the sideline, just standing there, just going to the heater, back and forth, just waiting to hear my name called. So, end of third [quarter], going into the fourth over there, 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.
"And 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. ... 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."
Johnson played four games with the Ravens, recording one reception on five targets for six yards and no touchdowns.
Johnson was waived and then signed with the Texans. He played one game for them, catching two passes for 12 yards and no touchdowns. He's now set to start a new era with the Browns, but the memory of that December game is still fresh.
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