Stafon Johnson Stafon Johnson ( born February 6 , 1988 ) is a professional American football running back who is currently an unrestricted free agent . He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2010 . He played college football at University of Southern California . He was also a member of the Washington Redskins . Early years . Johnson played high school football at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles , California . He played running back and defensive back . Going into his junior season , he was regarded as one of the top three running backs in his region . His best season came as a senior in 2005 when he rushed for 2 , 197 yards on 247 carries with 22 touchdowns . He finished his high school career with a city record 5 , 777 rushing yards and 58 touchdowns . A highly regarded recruit , Johnson was the No . 18 overall prospect in the country and the No . 2 running back by Rivals . com . He received offers from Florida , Miami , UCLA and paid serious attention to Georgia and Washington . He ultimately chose USC , noting that he liked the coaches and its proximity to his parents . College career . During his freshman season , Johnson played in three games , rushing for 17 yards on three carries . Johnson had a breakthrough in the 2007 season , finishing with 673 rushing yards and five touchdowns . He ran for 122 yards and a touchdown in 14 carries against Washington before suffering a foot injury . The injury , which was first diagnosed a game earlier as a left foot bruise , included a sprain that kept him out of practices and limited his playing time for the rest of the season . He returned at the end of the season , rushing for 104 yards in the Rose Bowl . As a junior in 2008 , Johnson led the Trojans in rushing yards with 705 yards on 138 carries and nine touchdowns . He had 305 yards on 42 punt returns . Barbell accident . On September 28 , 2009 , Johnson suffered an injury when the barbell he was lifting fell on his throat while performing a bench press during a routine team workout . Bleeding from his mouth and nose , he was rushed to California Hospital Medical Center and had three emergency surgeries to repair damage to his crushed vocal cord , adam ' s apple and torn muscles . Doctors partially credited his survival to well developed muscles around his neck , which helped him keep open a breathing passage , as well as his level of fitness . He was moved to Cedars - Sinai Medical Center , and was released on October 15 , 2009 , though he was still unable to speak and had a breathing tube in his throat . The injury ended his 2009 season , during which he had run for a team - high five touchdown s in the Trojans ' first four games . As a fourth - year senior , Johnson was eligible to enter the NFL or apply to the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility because of a medical hardship . Later in the 2009 season , the USC football team honored Johnson by wearing helmet stickers that read " STA FIGHT ON " while playing rival Notre Dame . On January 24 , 2011 , Johnson sued USC and the former assistant conditioning coach who was present for negligence related to the accident . Professional career . After going undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft , Johnson signed a contract immediately after the draft with the Tennessee Titans . In his rookie season , Stafon Johnson was injured in a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on August 15 , 2010 . His ankle was severely dislocated by an opposing tackler accidentally landing on Johnson ' s planted right leg . He was estimated to be out for at least 8 – 12 weeks . He cleared waivers and was placed on IR . He was released on September 2 , 2011 . Johnson was signed to the Washington Redskins practice squad on December 28 , 2011 . Personal . Johnson was raised by his mother , Kim Mallory . He had a close relationship with his grandfather , Larry " Big Dad " Mallory , a father figure who attended practices and games . Larry Mallory died from a heart attack at age 66 . During games his sophomore season , Johnson wrote " Big Dad " on his eye blacks . Johnson enjoys music and bowling . He prays before every game . He has one son , Stafon Johnson Jr .