Lions, Megatron working on reconciliation

Calvin Johnson was announced as an inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility Saturday. The next order of business is repairing his relationship with the Detroit Lions.

Johnson said Sunday that he and the franchise are beginning to make inroads.

"I know that myself and (Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp) have had some great conversations recently," Johnson told reporters, including Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. "It's been good to get to know her and just really sit down and have those face-to-face conversations. So, I think that we're moving in the right direction, yeah."

The Hall of Fame receiver retired after the 2015 season following nine years with Detroit. Johnson hung up his cleats with three years remaining on his contract and the franchise asked him to give back $1.6 million of his signing bonus. He also admitted he retired in part because of the Lions' bleak chances of winning a championship.

Johnson will be inducted alongside Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, John Lynch, Alan Faneca, Tom Flores, Bill Nunn, and Drew Pearson as part of the Class of 2021.

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