Eight years ago must feel like a lifetime to Alondra Johnson.
Eight years ago he heard one of his Calgary Stampeder teammates, receiver Pee Wee Smith, was selling his 1992 Grey Cup ring and it bothered Johnson. It made him wish he could find Smith so he could ask him, "Why? Why sell something that took so much to win?"
And for what? A couple of thousand dollars?
"I hope Pee Wee's okay," Johnson said that day as the Stampeders prepared for the 1998 Grey Cup game they would win. "I just can't imagine selling my Grey Cup ring."
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That was eight years ago and today, for $4,000 (U.S.), you can have A.J.'s 2001 Grey Cup ring complete with his name and jersey number 51 etched into the side. It's for sale on eBay, along with a 1978 Grey Cup ring that belonged to former Edmonton Eskimo lineman Joe Jackson, a one-year player who landed with the right team at the right time.
It's not new for players to sell their championship memorabilia on-line or through some sort of auction. Hockey greats have done it; National Football League stars do it. And yes, A.J. won the Grey Cup in 1992 and 1998 with Calgary, which means he still has two Canadian Football League championship rings, for now at least.
But if you knew Johnson and watched how hard he played at linebacker and how he suffered after every defeat, you would have a difficult time imagining him peddling such a prized possession. A.J. once stood in the Stampeders' dressing room after their 1994 last-play playoff loss to the B.C. Lions and said he was going to quit because, "I can't go through this any more."
But he came back, he always came back and he continued to play his heart out.
When I heard A.J.'s ring was for sale, I tried to reach him with no luck. The other day, I spoke to some of his friends and former teammates and they said they had been in touch with him, months ago, and that indeed it was his 2001 ring that was for sale.
"He's not in Calgary right now," said a friend. "He's in Los Angeles."
"He's in L.A. seeing his kids from his first marriage," said a former teammate.
"Is he okay?" I asked.
"I haven't heard from him since July," said the teammate. "I don't know."
A.J. had his rough times in Calgary. His second wife Jackie was forced to call 911 after Johnson pulled her out of bed by her hair then tried to choke her. Johnson pleaded guilty and received an 18-month suspended sentence. He was also prohibited from using alcohol or drugs and from gambling.
The incident represented such a low moment for Johnson it convinced him to change his lifestyle or lose everyone who was important to him.
"I was out of control," he admitted a year later. "It was liquor, hanging out, not being a good father and a good husband. I was doing what pleased me. When I look at it now, I can't say that it was pleasing because it hindered me more than anything."
This isn't to say Johnson is out of control again, that he's back in his old east L.A. neighborhood looking for trouble. It's just that some of his friends haven't heard from him in awhile and they're concerned because now his Grey Cup ring is up for sale and they knew what winning a championship meant to him.
"He was a great teammate," said one former Stampeder. "He was always there for you, always playing to win."
You remember those times. You hope he's okay.
