Tennessee football: Former Vol A.J. Johnson finally gets a shot at the NFL

Two weeks ago former Vol A.J. Johnson was acquitted of a rape charge from 2014. Today he finally has his chance at an NFL career.

Welcome back to football Mr. Johnson. The former Tennessee football player, A.J. Johnson was accused of rape in 2014 which shut the door on any chances at an NFL career. However, today the Denver Broncos announced that Monday afternoon that they will sign Johnson.

This makes total sense from a football standpoint. Why not give Johnson a shot? On the other hand, getting in football shape, especially NFL shape, cannot be easy. So, maybe it will be the 2019 season before Vol fans still Johnson back on the field.

He was a four-star recruit from Georgia and quickly became a team leader for the Volunteers with his outstanding play on the field. Johnson was never the faster player, yet he always seemed to find himself around the ball.

Throughout his career, he combined for over 400 tackles which put him on a list of only four players to do so. He also forced three fumbles and recovered all three of them. Johnson finished his career as a three-time All-SEC selection and the second all-time leading tackler in Tennessee football history.

Here is a statement about Johnson from Broncos President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway.

"“A.J. hasn’t had the opportunity to play football for the last three years while resolving a serious legal matter. We’ve had several conversations with him since he’s been cleared and have become very familiar with his background and character. Our organization is confident A.J. is ready to move forward and resume his playing career.”"

With everything that happened, we would imagine the Broncos will get a hard-working Johnson that will always go 100 percent. Not many people get a second chance at anything. Johnson basically got a second chance at life and at his childhood dream, playing in the National Football League.

It would not surprise us the least bit if Johnson comes out and has a good NFL career. One thing is for sure; he has the talent, now he just has to prove it.