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Calvin Johnson, who retired from the NFL early because his body was starting to break down, said many players are choosing to do whatever it takes to stay on the field.That includes taking painkillers.I guess my first half of my career before they really, you know, before they were like started looking over the whole industry, or the whole NFL, the doctors, the team doctors and trainers they were giving them out like candy, you know? Johnson said in an interview with ESPNs Michael Smith for E:60 that debuts Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.If you were hurting, then you could get em, you know. It was nothing. I mean, if you needed Vicodin, call out, My ankle hurt, you know. I need, I need it. I cant, I cant play without it, or something like that. It was simple. Thats how easy it was to get em, you know. So if you were dependent on em, they were readily available.Johnson, 30, said he knew he couldnt do what it would take to overcome his injuries, of which there were many, to keep playing. The former Detroit Lions star underwent knee, ankle and finger surgeries. He retired in March after nine seasons in the NFL.I know where my bodys at, know how it feels, you know, he said. I know how it felt to one, get it to go every day. And to be out there actually doing it every day, you know -- the pain to do it. So Im just like -- and you cant take Toradol and pain medicine every day, you know. You gotta give that stuff a rest, and that was one thing I wasnt willing to do.Johnson currently stands second on the all-time list in receiving yards per game behind Julio Jones at 86.1. He led the league in receiving twice and went to six Pro Bowls in his nine-year career. Despite an 88-catch, 1,214-yard season last year, he has repeatedly said hes not coming back to the league.He said he wants to be able to function after football and finish his degree at Georgia Tech. Many players are dealing with the post-football concerns, including the effects of concussions. Johnson was asked if hes had to deal with concussion issues. He said that even before the movie Concussion came out and elevated the discussion in popular culture, he was concerned about it.Concussions happen, he said. If not on every play, then they happen like every other, every third play, you know. With all the helmet contact, guys hitting the ground, heads hitting ground. Its simply when your brain touches your skull from the movement or the inertia, man. Its simple to get a concussion, you know. I dont know how many Ive had over my career, you know, but Ive definitely had my fair share. Johnson didnt come out and blame the league for knowingly putting players at risk, but he described a culture that demands that players play.The team doctor, the team trainers, they work for the team. And I love em, you know, he said. Theyre some good people, you know. They want to see you do good. But at the same time, they work for the team, you know. Theyre trying to do whatever they can to get you back on the field and make your team look good. So if its not gonna make the team look good, or if youre not gonna be on the field, then theyre tryin to do whatever they can to make that happen.Johnson went onto the field many times when injured, but he finally decided he didnt want to do that anymore. Still, he doesnt regret his career. And he said he will definitely miss it.I mean, whos not gonna miss it, you know? he said. Its ... youre playing the greatest game against some of the best athletes in the world. You know, and its a bone-crushing game, and you gotta love that about it, because it takes everybody to do their job right in order for you just to, just to sniff victory, you know? So, like I say, I love it, I loved it. I left it all out on the field, I feel like. And had a great time, made some great plays that I felt like my fans will remember. Frank Gore Womens Jersey .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. Matt Breida Womens Jersey . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. http://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Frank-Gore-Jersey/ . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Deion Sanders Youth Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Frank Gore Youth Jersey . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Jeff Gordon is returning to Sprint Cup racing. He will replace?Dale Earnhardt Jr.?for the next two races.Earnhardt, who has concussion-type symptoms, will sit out Sundays race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the following race at Pocono on July 31.Gordons return isnt just a four-time champion coming out of retirement to race. Gordon, who never ruled out an occasional return when he stepped out of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 car at the end of the 2015 season, returns this weekend to the track in Indianapolis where he has won five times, including the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994.Gordon, 44, competed in 797 consecutive races from the season finale in 1992 through the end of 2015. He won 93 races -- third on the all-time Sprint Cup list --- and championships in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001.Gordon has attended all but a couple of races this year, having spent the first 16 points races of the 2016 season as part of the three-man booth for the Fox Sports telecasts of Sprint Cup practices, qualifying and races.I think Jeff will do well, team owner Rick Hendrick said Sunday when talking about the possibility of Gordons return. Hes won that race a lot of times.Hes been out of the car this year. I expect if he gets in the car, he might be a little bit rusty, but weve got a lot of practice time and I dont think itll take Gordon long to get back in the groove.Whether Gordon continues in the seat, if needed, has yet to be determined.?Jeffs a team player, Hendrick said in a news release Wednesday. I know hell be ready, and I know Dale has incredible trust in him. Its going to be an emotional weekend [at Indianapolis] with Dale not being there and seeing Jeff back behind the wheel.Gordons wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, tweeted her support.Earnhardt said, in a recording he made Sunday night for his weekly podcast released Monday, that he was battling balance and nausea. It is possible the concussion symptoms are the result of crashes June 12 at Michigan and July 2 at Daytona. His ImPACT test, a cognitive examination that among other things tests memory and reaction time, showed results equal to his most recent baseline test, Earnhardt said.Earnhardt missed two races in 2012 because of two concussions over a six-week span. [My doctors] can give me a lot of exercises that retrain my brain to handle what I need to handle -- its just going to take a lot of patience, Earnhardt said. I take my health and quality of life as a top priority. ... I am going to take this slow and strictly take the advice of my doctors.Earnhardt underwent further evaluation Tuesday at the Universsity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program.dddddddddddd Hendrick Motorsports said he will not travel to Indianapolis or Pocono.Our focus is giving Dale all the time he needs to recover, Hendrick said in the Wednesday news release. Theres nothing we want more than to see him back in the race car, but well continue to listen to the doctors and follow their lead. Whats best for Dale is whats best for Hendrick Motorsports and everyone involved with the team. Were all proud of him and looking forward to having him racing soon.The return of Gordon, despite the circumstances, could give the Indianapolis race a boost. He moved to nearby Pittsboro at age 14 and is a favorite of the local fans.Thats going to be really cool ... if we get to race Jeff one more time, three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart, who will retire from Cup racing after this season, said Sunday.Gordons return to racing could impact his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction date. The current eligibility requirements for a driver under 55 or a driver with less than 30 years of competing in NASCAR is two years of retirement before being nominated. His tentative date was nomination for selection in 2018 for the 2019 class.A NASCAR spokesman said his eligibility status likely wont be reevaluated until it becomes clear how many races he will run in place of Earnhardt.All of Gordons previous starts have come in the No. 24 car, now driven by Chase Elliott. While Gordon will drive a No. 88 car at Indy, his longtime sponsor, Axalta, already was scheduled to be a sponsor of the Earnhardt car for Indianapolis. The company, formerly the DuPont paint division, has a long association with Gordon and already had agreed to sponsor four of the next five races for the No. 88 car.By missing Indianapolis, Earnhardt most likely will fall from 16th in the Chase qualifying standings to outside the bubble to make the 16-driver Chase. He currently has a 14-point edge on Trevor Bayne for the final playoff spot.There will be six regular-season races remaining after Indianapolis. If he returns during the regular-season portion of the schedule, Earnhardt would need a waiver from NASCAR (and its expected hed get one) to miss races and still be eligible for the Chase. The regular-season champion plus the next 15 drivers, based on wins with points as the tiebreaker, make the Chase as long as a driver who wins is in the top-30 in the point standings. Earnhardt is winless this year. ' ' '