Stevie Johnson catches a lot of flak for some of the silly things he does on and off the field, but huge kudos go out to Johnson for playing Sunday when he probably shouldn’t have.
Johnson was informed by Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone shortly after the team arrived in Jacksonville that his mother had just died unexpectedly in California.
According to the Bills official website, Johnson chose to stay with the team and played in Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Jaguars.
Johnson said it was a difficult decision and that it was tough to focus on the game at times, but that he felt like he should give it his all “no matter what” and that he was “sure” his mother would be happy that he helped the team get a win.
“I spent a lot of time with coach Marrone and we just sat and talked,” Johnson said.
“We talked about everything. It wasn’t about football. I felt good about it. He talked to me like I was his son or something. He made me feel comfortable with my decision whichever way it went, whether it was to fly right back or stay. I felt like we’ve got business here and I’m here already so let’s take care of business and we’ll deal with everything else after the game.”
Johnson is expected to travel back to California this week.
We at BlackSportsOnline offer our condolences to Johnson and his family on their loss.