Boclair: Johnson and Johnson make their choices, make us think

Most times, most places, you hear the words Johnson and Johnson and you think about health care products. Things that make life better. Things that help us live longer.

In Middle Tennessee in the summer of 2010, “Johnson and Johnson” did exactly that — for the local sporting public, at least — albeit in a most unconventional way.

During a typically slow time of the year for athletics news, Chris Johnson and Bobby Johnson made headlines. Lots of them.

They also created headaches. Lots of them.

Chris Johnson, the Tennessee Titans’ All-Pro running back, wanted more money and was willing to stay away from his team to get it. Bobby Johnson, the most successful Vanderbilt football coach in more than a generation, wanted peace of mind and was willing to walk away from his program in order to get it.

Their respective ideals and machinations stirred debate, not to mention fear and uncertainty. They also made us question some of our own values in ways that provided no easy answers.

Take Chris Johnson, for example.

The issue absolutely was black-and-white for him: He was the best offensive player in the NFL last fall, and that meant he deserved a salary for the coming season commensurate with his achievements. So he skipped offseason workouts in an attempt to force the franchise’s hand.

It was the rest of us who offered opinions about the value of a contract, a person’s right to capitalize on his or her perceived value, the responsibilities that come with being part of a team and so on.

Johnson (we’re still talking about Chris) no doubt feels vindicated by the fact that he got more money out of the team and validated by the fact that he won’t miss any time in training camp. He met what he perceived as his responsibility to himself in a way that allowed him to be with his teammates when preparations for the season officially begin.

As for Johnson (yes, we’re on to Bobby now), his sudden decision to step down and to get on with the rest of his life was equally inflammatory to others but cut-and-dried to him.

He made it clear that he felt there was “no good time” for a college coach to make such a move. So he chose a day fewer than three weeks before the start of preseason practices and fewer than two months before the first game.

All who bleed black and gold immediately worried about the state of the program, which had achieved a rare level of competitive
consistency under Johnson.

Many, not just those in the Vanderbilt community, debated the reasons behind the move. Some suspected he was forced out. Others felt he decided at the last minute that he was not up to the task. There also was the idea that the move was executed in a way that left the university no options other than to keep the current staff in place and, therefore, created as few ripples as possible.

Johnson (still Bobby) insists the entire affair can — and should — be taken at face value, that he simply reached a point (in concert with his wife) where it was time to go.

They are different men, but at the core their issues are as identical as their surnames.

What is selfish versus responsibility to self? When does the greater good supersede self-gratification? Does the present completely outweigh the past or the future?