Later that summer, Johnson represented the United States in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Lisbon, Portugal, garnering a silver medal in the games.
Even though Johnson had signed a letter of intent to play college football at the University of Oregon, he was faced with the tough decision of turning pro in track as a recently graduated high school senior.
Johnson was the pre-season favorite to win the NCAA 400m in his sophomore season and preseason pick to make the Olympic team that summer in 1996.
Citing the emotional toll of 1996 and the disappointment of missing the Olympics in his home state of Georgia, Johnson quit the team and never stepped on the track again for the Ducks.
Johnson managed to start in 8 contests during Oregon's Rose Bowl campaign in 1994, notching a then freshman record 30 receptions which has since been broken.
The Ducks also had appearances in the Cotton and Las Vegas Bowls respectively, where Johnson was the offensive MVP in the latter blowout victory over the Air Force Academy.
Johnson signed an injury settlement with the Bengals in 2004, waiving his roster spot and went back to his Irving, Texas, residence to rehab.
Johnson has accepted several keynote speaking engagements and most notably the Pigskin Preview, organized by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, and is a published writer, having co-authored an article for Worth and independently for Overtime Magazines, respectively.
Johnson has consulted in the private equity, oil and gas, mining, gaming, nutraceutical, entertainment, internet, and real estate industries.
On February 16, 2018, three Johnson-controlled business entities, PDX Partners, Victura Construction Group, and Cherubim Interests, had their trading halted as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) started an investigation into alleged investments in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.