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DL Brett Johnson Discusses Rehabilatation of Broken Hip

When the Cal media contingent got a text message around 9:30 PM Tuesday night, noting that defensive lineman Brett Johnson would be available during a press conference. The text noted that Johnson had made it back to Berkeley, after suffering a fractured hip in an automobile accident in March that had him back home in Arizona, and that Johnson would update the Cal media on his progress.

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Sporting a Rollie Fingers-esque mustache and without his normal plume of hair (cut off while in the hospital due to an inability to maintain it), Johnson discussed a path back from his injury, not medically retiring nor giving any indication that he'll be back at any point in the 2021 season.

"We don't have any specific timelines," Johnson said, "but I am improving and I will be back on the field as soon as possible."

Johnson, who was thought to be one of the Bears top returning defenders in 2021, was announced as out for the year back in April. Since his injury he's been back home in Arizona.

"I'm pretty much starting from scratch," Johnson noted, "I get in my accident, I go back to Arizona for a while to heal because I can't live on my own, I was not going to depend on my roommates to make me food and do all that kind of stuff. So I went home where I could have help from my family. When i was home, I did some rehab to get back on my feet again. Once I could walk again and be self-sufficient, I got back to Berkeley."

Johnson, per his admission, hasn't gotten back to field drills yet, with the Bears hoping to get him back in 2022. He has progressed over the past handful of months, getting back in the weight room this past week.

"I'm feeling pretty great, I'm building my muscles back (up)," Johnson noted, "I'm doing rehab, making sure to get my hip strong again so I can get on the field soon. I'm working through, minimal discomfort, there's still some things that give me some issues, but nothing that's not going to be overcome soon enough. Right now, I'm doing full upper-body work to get my muscles back and very minimal lower body with the strength staff. I haven't gotten onto the field quite yet, but right now I'm building back with emphasis on strengthening the hip."

In getting some of his conditioning back, Johnson has turned to boxing, where some of the striking he's learned is applicable to his defensive line position.

"Chandler MMA, I've been going there since the past summer (2020)," Johnson said, "I'm a wrestler, I was a state champion in high school, so I'm big into martial arts like that. I got into striking, just wanted to learn Muay Thai, boxing. I did the boxing because it's easy on the hip, I don't have to get too low, it's good exercise and it's fun with the people there."

With Johnson out for the year, Cal brought back a familiar face in Luc Bequette, who helped Johnson get acclimated as a true freshman. Johnson sees Bequette as a positive force for the room.

"I think it's great. Luc was a great friend my freshman year when I first got here," Johnson said, "he showed me the ropes. He was one of the guys assigned to me to help me find my way through Berkeley, I would hit him up with questions. Great player obviously, good person to have in the locker room, and just a good friend."

Johnson was asked if he would be back in 2021 at all, and he reiterated that there aren't any timelines for him returning, but he's seeing improvement moving through his rehab.

"It's disappointing, it's a bummer that I won't be able to have as successful of a year," Johnson said, "but I'm still improving, I'm still looking up, there's a lot of brightness in the future."

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