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. wholesale jerseys usa . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. cheap nfl jerseys wholesale . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. http://www.cheapnflchinajerseyswholesale.com/ . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. cheap soccer jerseys china .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. cheap china jerseys .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. The future structure of Englands T20 competition might be in doubt, but there is no doubting the success of NatWest Blast Finals Day.Tickets for the three-match climax at Edgbaston on Saturday 20 August have now sold out, with the exception of the allocation of 3,200 tickets reserved for the competing semi-finalists.This is the first time in the history of NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day that the event has sold out before all semi-finalists have been confirmed.The four teams that will qualify for two semi-finals and a final in a full day of T20 action receive an allocation of only 800 tickets for Finals Day.Should any of these tickets remain unsold, Edgbaston will release a final allocation at 1000 on Tuesday August 16.Notts Outlaws and Northamptonshire Steelbacks have already won through following the first two quarter finals. Gloucestershire meet Durham on Wednesday and Glamorgan face Yorkshire on Thursday.Gareth Roberts, Commercial Director of Warwickshire Countty Cricket Club, said: NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day is the biggest day in the domestic cricket calendar and is growing in demand each year, with tickets for this years event selling out in record time.ddddddddddddhis will be the eighth NatWest T20 Blast Finals that Edgbaston has hosted and is part of our long-term staging agreement, which sees the event played here in Birmingham until at least 2018.Controversy surrounded the start of the tournament in May when Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, who favours a big-city competirion that would by-pass the 18-team county system, called the present competition mediocre.Despite that, attendances have shown a slight improvement this season, following a large leap in 2015, even though there has been additional competition from the European football championships and, latterly, the Olympic Games. ' ' '