This morning, Sports Illustrated released an article titled, “I Could Have Been Just Like George”. They compiled stories from “more than a dozen Black athletes who work in, have ties to, or have had poor experiences with, law enforcement“. Their first personal story happened in Minneapolis, and involved former Vikings Defensive Tackle, Tom Johnson.

What Happened in October, 2014:

Minnesota Vikings Defensive Tackle, Tom Johnson was maced, tased and arrested by off-duty police officers, after a night out at a club…. or “steakhouse” (depending on who you ask) in Minneapolis. He quickly fought back against the charges and account from the officers involved. He put out a statement just days later, with his own version of the incident and how it unfolded.

Johnson refused to take a plea deal and took the case to court. A jury QUICKLY (just 15 minutes of deliberation) ruled in favor of the Vikings DT. He won. Tom sued the City of Minneapolis, in 2016, and was awarded $475,000 in a settlement. The SI piece this morning, which details the events unfolding from Johnson’s point of view, is jaw-dropping to say the least.

Johnson valeted his car and walked inside. He bought drinks for himself and two teammates, downed a whiskey ginger and eventually went back out to hand his ticket to the valet. Facing what he was told would be a 20-minute wait, in 35-degree weather, he stepped back into the club’s entryway. Video surveillance would show that 11 patrons remained inside the bar, but only Johnson was asked to leave. He says a bouncer told him his Timberland boots violated the club’s unwritten dress code.

Johnson’s attorneys later argued in a U.S. District Court memorandum that what happened next can be explained by one simple fact: Johnson is African American.

Two off-duty Minneapolis police officers, Patrick McCarver and John LaLuzerne, approached. They were already violating numerous department policies, including working off-duty inside of the club. They shouted at Johnson to leave. McCarver pushed Johnson toward the door, then sprayed MPD-issued pepper spray into his face. Johnson couldn’t see, his eyes stung, his nose ran and he was “spitting up.”

He found a planter outside and sat down. An employee rushed over, offering a glass of water and a face towel. Johnson, realizing he could no longer drive, called a car service that the Vikings offer players whenever they need a safe ride home. While he waited for his ride, he took photos and video of the officers, at which point McCarver swatted Johnson’s phone to the ground, shattering the screen. As Johnson tried to pick up the device, McCarver aimed his department-issued Taser at Johnson’s head. Then both officers discharged their weapons into Johnson’s back and tased him for at least 14 seconds, while the officers laughed and cracked jokes.

Sports Illustrated – ‘I Could Have Been Just Like George’

Telling Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman

That is a difficult account to read and the truth to it played out in a courtroom. Johnson was wrongfully assaulted and arrested by off-duty police officers, in a situation that never should have escalated to that point.

That’s not where the Sports Illustrated article ends, though. After being arrested that night, Tom Johnson had to sit down and have a conversation with Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer and General Manager, Rick Spielman. He had to answer for why he was arrested the night of October 5, 2014.

However, the approaches taken from the Minnesota Vikings Head Coach vs General Manager, were different to one-another. Why? Rick Spielman is a white man… but he has raised (and is still raising) black children. I thought this part of the article was absolutely fascinating.

In the aftermath, the Vikings’ white, no-nonsense coach, Mike Zimmer, asked Johnson what he had done wrong. But white general manager Rick Spielman, who has six Black children, understood immediately that Johnson might not have done anything at all. Spielman says that his kids have been profiled by police before—once while driving his wife’s expensive car, and another time at a restaurant with friends. He has watched security guards follow his children around stores. One son described to Rick being pulled over by police, and how his heart dropped because he didn’t know what might happen next. Spielman says he has “seen the world through [his kids’] eyes, which is a totally different lens.”

The difference between Zimmer’s and Spielman’s reactions was not lost on Johnson, and he understands it. “I got mad respect for Zim,” Johnson says, “but if you’re not a Black person, or you haven’t experienced this, you just assume the person in authority is doing the right thing.”

Sports Illustrated – ‘I Could Have Been Just Like George’

Life Experience Shapes Outlook

The last part of this story is a perfect reflection of where our society is sitting at, currently. It seems like we are at a crossroads between good and evil… but the divide may not be that deep.

Mike Zimmer didn’t have any life experiences that taught him, ‘police officers can do bad things’. He was raised with the belief that, cops drive around the community to serve and protect. Dealing with them will be peaceful as long as you listen and act respectfully.

‘Cops only beat up and arrest bad guys’, is what I was always taught, too. For the most part, that still holds true. However, he hadn’t seen the side of reality that Tom Johnson saw that night when he was out in Minneapolis. One moment, you’re calling for a valet, and the next, you’re being maced, tazed and thrown in jail. That’s scary.

Rick Spielman’s Unique Perspective is Nice to Have

Rick Spielman, though, has a very unique perspective. He’s seen his own kids get pulled over in HIS luxurious vehicles.. when he wouldn’t have been. He’s seen them followed around stores by security guards.. when in reality, they could afford to buy everything in the store. That’s a reality Mike Zimmer had never lived.

If there is a bright spot to this story, it’s the clear family-relationship that the Vikings have in their locker room. We don’t hear much unrest coming from players here, directed at the organization, like we are seeing elsewhere around the NFL and other leagues.

I’ve never thought about how much Rick Spielman’s unique perspective on racial issues, comes into play, when unrest around the state, country or world, presents itself. We know it played a big role, in Tom Johnson’s post-arrest meeting, though… so it makes you wonder….

…we should probably keep this guy around?

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The NFL offseason was getting underway and with Sheldon Richardson about to sign in Cleveland, the Vikings obviously had a need on the defensive front. After a season that saw the Vikings drop all the way from 2nd in the NFL against the run… to 15th, the Vikings turned to a familiar face.

Shamar Stephen, who played here from 2014-2017, was quickly locked down with a 3 year contract as soon as deals started to be announced. He is expected to bring his run-clogging presence back to the Vikings’ defensive line. Tom Johnson and Shamar Stephen were a force in 2017, next to Linval Joseph, which helped lead the Vikings to the #1 defense in both scoring and total yards that season. It’s clear the Vikings are looking to go back to that formula, where the focus is on stopping the run first, and thus forcing teams to beat them through the air.

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On its face, the loss of Sheldon Richardson seems like a big deal. He’s a very solid pass rusher from the DT position. But, playing defensive tackle goes far beyond that.

I took a look back at the 2018 season and compared Sheldon Richardson’s stats with Tom Johnson’s, to help myself put things into perspective:

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Sheldon Richardson

• 16 Games (16 Starts) 
• 49 Tackles (26 solo) 
• 6 TFLs 
• 16 QB Hits 
• 4.5 Sacks

(Per Pro-Football-Reference.com)

Tom Johnson

• 13 Games (0 Starts)
• 23 Tackles (16 Solo)
• 2 Fumble Recoveries
• 7 TFLs
• 7 QB Hits
• 4.5 Sacks

(Per Pro-Football-Reference.com)

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It’s not about the name, it’s about the work. Sheldon is a solid player, but at his cost, there are better options. Letting him walk was the right thing for the Vikings to do. Signing Stephen back was a good first step. Now, Tom Johnson is a Free Agent but has expressed interest in returning on a 1-Year Deal. That’s something the Vikings should be more than willing to do.

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DT Tom Johnson on free agency: “I’ve got interest from (#Vikings to re-sign) I definitely would like to return but you just never know how free agency is going to unfold'' He'd take 1-year deal “I’m not looking for a multi-year deal I’m in a situation that I’m playing it by ear'

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 7, 2019

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Brian Heintz | Minnesota Sports Fan

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Welcome to another installment of “Time for Two More”. It has been a frantic week with plenty to recap. The Vikings played Green Bay to a tie, Jimmy Butler has had enough of the Wolves and the Twins are still out of the playoff hunt (wait.. that hasn’t changed in a while). Here is what you may have missed this week:

Tom Johnson:

SEBASTIAN THUNDERBUCKET IS BACK! The Vikings allowed Johnson to leave via free agency, after signing Sheldon Richardson. Now Johnson is back after being waived by Seattle. Clubhouse culture is now a thing for the Vikings, who also added Dan Bailey and Aldrick Robinson in similiar moves this week. Veterans see this as a chance for a ring, and they want to cash in. Johnson is also paying tribute to former teammate Brian Robison by wearing his number this year, so I’m all in.

Tom Johnson told me was given choice to wear 95 or 96 Why 96? A reason: Honor Brian Robison “I was like ‘I’m going to represent my homie It feels good but it feels bad I don’t know this place without him To be here without him feels kind of weird but this will be a tribute to him

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 19, 2018

Miguel Sano:

I hate that I have to even bring this up again but Sano keeps addressing it. After another mostly lost season, Sano has vowed to get in shape to be ready for the upcoming season. Where have we heard that before? Oh, he’s also going to train on his own. What could go wrong? Sano just does not seem to really get the hint that he needs to put in the work to become a good major league player.

Meanwhile, Miguel Sano is telling the Twins he’s going to do things on his own this offseason and everything will be fine. And he can no longer hit and has shown he has no clue what he’s doing on his own. It’s great talk-show fodder but why do these teams do this to themselves?

— Judd Zulgad (@1500ESPNJudd) September 20, 2018

Stephen Gonsalves:

The Twins pitcher picked up his first major league win yesterday in an 8-2 win against the Tigers. The win came after the Twins used the “opener strategy” which I have campaigned for the Twins to stop using, yet here we are. Oh well, can’t be anything but happy for a young kid getting some big league success. Oh and he looked good getting it too:

#MNTwins No. 5 prospect Stephen Gonsalves notched his first @MLB win and was ? on the mound today:
6 IP
1 H
0 R
1 BB
4 K
More: https://t.co/NxWisefHRB pic.twitter.com/puJWM2Njoq

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 19, 2018

Here is what else caught my eye:

Pat Elflein (ankle/shoulder) was a full participant in practice today for the first time. #Vikings

— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) September 19, 2018

Former #Vikings WR Stacy Coley was claimed by the #Giants, source said.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 19, 2018

#Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on why they cut rookie kicker Daniel Carlson: “Did you see the game?”

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 17, 2018

Never change Zimmer.

Well that’s it for now. Hopefully no more damn ties.

Seth Toupal @SethToups
MinnesotaSportsFan.com

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