Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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"I'm happy about it and I'm really proud of him, especially that he's getting ready to graduate," Fleming's father, Larry, said moments after the 49ers made their selec- tion. "I thought he might go in the third round. Players drop depending on other players. I was just hoping that things would work out a little better for him. "You can't get everything. I'm happy with the team he went to. He's going to a good team and has a good team over there. son expected, but the former Notre Dame defensive end made it to the NFL after working out a free-agent deal with Kansas City following the final round of the draft. Johnson appeared in 47 career games It wasn't quite the route Ethan John- ETHAN JOHNSON SIGNS WITH KANSAS CITY I like [Jim] Harbaugh as a coach and Darius has a friend over there in Ian Williams. That was his roommate for three years." Unfortunately for Fleming, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during a non-contact drill at a minicamp practice session on May 11 and will have to wait until the 2013 season to make his NFL de- but. Fleming signed a four-year contract reportedly worth $2.264 million. ✦ Free Agent Signings wasn't that productive for him or the rest of the Fighting Irish defense. Because of the private family situation back home in Oregon, Johnson wasn't able to focus on becoming a profes- sional football player, but he doesn't regret pushing it down the priority list. "During Pro Day, I wasn't sure if I was (37 starts) and recorded 97 total tack- les (18.5 for loss) and 12.5 sacks in his Fighting Irish career. The Portland, Ore., native sprained his right ankle early against Purdue on Oct. 1, 2011, and sat out the following games against Air Force, USC, Navy and Wake Forest. The lingering ankle injury and a family medical issue he doesn't wish to dis- close kept him from training thoroughly prior to the NFL Draft. As a result, the 6-4, 300-pounder did not participate at Notre Dame's Pro Day on April 3. Johnson suffered a knee injury in the opening contest Defensive lineman Ethan Johnson, who didn't participate in Notre Dame's Pro Day to take care of a family situation back home in Oregon, worked out a free-agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND going to be able to [make the dream come true] this year," he said. "I was working out and all of that; I just wasn't prepared. I don't like doing anything halfway. If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it all the way and wholeheartedly. That is why I didn't perform at the Pro Day. "When my family situation was re- of his senior year at Lincoln High and missed the rest of the season. As a true freshman at Notre Dame in 2008, he notched a co-team-best 3.5 sacks. He was moved to defensive tackle in 2009 as a sophomore — a year that ing the last couple weeks having teams call me, getting my phone number and telling me they want to draft me and all that. It's been crazy — a whirlwind of a last couple weeks. I'm just going to continue working my butt off. "Kansas City called me back in late January and asked me where I was working out and what I was doing," solved, it was a huge weight off my back," he said. "I just finally tried to realize my dream, and it's been interest- JUNE/JULY 2012 38