Before 49ers cornerback Dontae Johnson delivered a resounding performance in the most important assignment of his eight-year career — last weekend’s start against Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, and the prolific Green Bay Packers offense — he looked at perhaps his most prized possession, the photo he’d brought to his locker on the frozen tundra.
It’s a photo of his mother, Holli Garner, who died suddenly of a heart attack last month.
“Quite honestly, she was there with me at that moment,” Johnson said in a phone interview Thursday. “She gave me strength by watching over me. She has been with me throughout the playoff run.
“That picture of her that I carry with me and hang in my locker is simply one of the small things I do to remind myself of her, to tell myself that she is still present and with me throughout this entire process. She’s watching down with glee, and I give her and God all the credit for all of my accomplishments since this incident.”
Johnson received the news on a Friday morning in December, just hours before the 49ers flew to Cincinnati to face the Bengals. Garner suffered a heart attack. She was in critical condition in Johnson’s native New Jersey.
Johnson hastily packed his stuff and flew across the nation. He had been scheduled to start the 49ers’ game at Cincinnati on December 12, but tragedy forced a change in plans. Johnson arrived at his childhood hometown of Plainfield, New Jersey, on Friday night.
He spent Saturday with Garner, who listened to his remarks but was unable to respond to her only son before passing away on Sunday morning.
“She was everything,” Johnson explained. “Because my father was not present, she served as my mother, father, closest friend, and homie, among other things. That was who she was, and she and I were always close. I was her only child. This connection and camaraderie that we shared was incredibly special. I’ll cherish that for the rest of my life.
