Wood: Lions have invited Calvin Johnson to camp to help repair relationship

The Detroit Lions are apparently trying to fix their relationship with one of their all-time great players.

Lions president Rod Wood said Monday on WJR-760 that his team has invited Calvin Johnson to training camp as their guest after the former wide receiver opened up recently about his ill feelings toward the organization caused by the Lions' treatment of him at the end of his career.

"We exchanged a few text messages. They were very cordial," said Wood, according to NFL reporter Mike O'Hara.

He added, according to O'Hara: "Hopefully he shows up. We want him in the tent, not outside the tent."

Johnson also recently admitted he retired in part due to the Lions' inability to build a Super Bowl contender around him. He claimed he thought about continuing his career, but said the Lions wouldn't consider releasing or trading him.

"I didn't see a chance for them to win a Super Bowl at the time, and for the work I was putting in, it wasn't worth my time to keep on beating my head against the wall and not going anywhere," Johnson said last week.

Johnson holds nearly every significant receiving record in Lions history and was one of the team's most popular players during his nine-year career, so Detroit is smartly avoiding more bad press by inviting Johnson back into the fold.