Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson is being sued after he did not show up at a youth football camp that he had previously agreed to host, a federal lawsuit acquired by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says.
In the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, FlexWork Sports Management LLC claims that Johnson’s no-show to the late May camp subjected the company to “significant damages, in the form of refunds, credits, and reputational damage.”
The camp was set to take place at Cupples Stadium on the South Side of Pittsburgh, with a $125 admission fee to include a “team photo” with Johnson, in addition to a camp T-shirt and “take home items from event sponsors.” Prior to the camp, there were multiple conversations between the host company and Johnson.
However, FlexWork says in the lawsuit that on 9:47 a.m. on May 22—just 13 minutes before the start of the camp—one of Johnson’s agents texted a group of camp organizers saying that the receiver’s flight from Florida had been canceled the previous night and that he would arrive later in the day. But a further exchange between Johnson’s agent and a camp organizer revealed that Johnson did not want to wait around for a second flight and left the airport.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the lawsuit references a personal service agreement that says Johnson was to pay a $2,250 cancellation fee if he canceled his appearance after April 5, in addition to any expenses incurred by FlexWork to date.
FlexWork filed the complaint on Aug. 2, asking Johnson to repay the money that the company spent putting on the camp, in addition to a to-be-determined amount of money associated with damage to FlexWork’s brand, along with legal fees associated with the case.
Last Thursday, Johnson signed a two-year contract extension with the Steelers, that will pay him an average of $18.355 million per year, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Kimberley A. Martin. The 26-year-old is coming off of a breakout 2021 season, where he finished the year with 107 receptions, 1,161 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
