Allen Park — C.J. Gardner-Johnson has zero interest looking back. The Detroit Lions defensive back made his return to practice on Saturday, five days after being carted off the field with a scary leg injury. As far as he’s concerned, that’s old news not worth discussing.
Meeting with the media after practice, Gardener-Johnson quickly dismissed a handful of questions about the injury, and more specifically, the sense of relief he felt when he learned the issue wasn’t serious.
“Next comment,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I’m good. God.”
Even though he was sidelined three practices, Gardner-Johnson made it clear he didn’t take a day off. And to his point, he was on the side each day, working with the athletic trainer to ensure he could return to football activities as quickly as possible, all while absorbing every defensive rep from the sideline.
“I was at practice every day,” he said. “I was mentally at practice. I don’t think you understand what type of guy you got here. I ain’t miss nothin’. I ain’t miss a practice, I ain’t miss a rep, I’m still out there. My teammates still see me. One thing people got to understand, this game of football, sometimes it ain’t being about the best physically. You got to be the best mentally. So as long as my teammates know I’m out there helping them and coaching them, I don’t really care what you have to say about being back.”
Gardner-Johnson clearly takes pride in his work ethic. His teammates know he’s going to be at the practice facility at 6 a.m. every day and he’s challenged them to beat him through the door. And whether he’s healthy, hurt, starting or on coming off the bench, he intends to bring unmatched energy to the rest of the roster each day.
“It’s very important, because I’m contagious,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I’m like the flu. It’s going to go through your body, and either you get it or don’t get it. And that’s not because I’m cocky, nah, it’s because I’m confident in my job. I’m confident in my coaches and my teammates and my training and my strength guys are doing for me. That’s why, you know?”
Gardner-Johnson has particularly enjoyed working with some of his younger teammates, guys like Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. It’s an opportunity to pay the mentorship forward that he received as a young player from guys like Malcolm Jenkins and Von Bell in New Orleans.
Injury update
Offensive linemen Penei Sewell and Halapoulivaati Vaitai, as well as rookie receiver Antoine Green, all missed Saturday’s practice. For Vaitai, it was the second session he’s sat in three days after taking a shot to the back. As for Green, he left Friday’s practice after being overwhelmed by the heat and was held out for precautionary reasons.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers