[2] As a teenager, Johnson left his aunt's home in Gary with his nephew (William M. Fields Jr.) and was caught in the crossfire of a gun battle about 100 yards from his location.

[3][4] A few years later during a pickup basketball game, Johnson fled with his cousins and later discovered his t-shirt had been grazed by a bullet.

[5] According to Vikings head coach Brad Childress, during the 2009 offseason, Johnson put on 17 pounds getting up to 187 and is currently the hardest worker on the team.

Johnson signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in April 2014.

[5] He is the youngest of eight children[5] and enjoys playing the saxophone[5] and planned on joining the medical field following his college career.

[5] His wife (Kassy Johnson) is a special education teacher at Eden Prairie High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.