Brittney McNorton Was an Intern before Marrying Calvin Johnson Jr

Brittney McNorton's extensive career in sports paved the way for her to meet her future husband at a summer training camp, reconnect with him in Miami, and accept a playful marriage proposal from him in Baltimore.

Brittney McNorton's life has sparked public fascination, especially when she married former National Football League (NFL) star Calvin Johnson Jr., who played under Detroit Lions (DL) seven years ago.

While McNorton has maintained a private life nowadays, her noteworthy career in the football world shaped the narrative of her relationship with Johnson Jr.

Brittney McNorton Had Management Roles at the Detroit Lions

Before she became an experiential marketer, McNorton had various positions at the Detroit Lions. Starting as an intern in Premium Suite Sales in July 2008, she focused on renewing multi-year suite contracts until January 2009.

After that, she became an assistant in Sponsorship and Suite Sales for three years. Moving up the ranks, she became the manager of Partnership Activation for the team and Ford Field for two years.

Subsequently, she worked as a promotions manager and then Senior Manager of Promotions, each for two years. She completed her bachelor's degree in communication and media studies at Michigan State University.

Inside Her Marriage To The NFL Star

In a 2021 interview, the pro football Hall of Famer recalled meeting McNorton during his second year in the NFL when she was working as an intern. Johnson Jr. played as DL's wide receiver for nine years before he retired in 2015.

At that time, McNorton saw him struggling to catch fly balls. Meanwhile, Roy Williams, a DL player who saw the situation then, challenged Johnson Jr. to approach her, betting $100 that he wouldn't.

Johnson Jr. took the bet, approached McNorton after practice, and won the bet, earning $100 from Williams. McNorton was smiling throughout the interview as she reminisced about those times. She said:

"I didn't find that out until years afterward, but, yeah, so that's why those fly balls kept coming in my direction. I guess he was trying to get my attention."

A few years later, they reconnected when McNorton contacted him about her trip to Atlanta. He mentioned he was going to Miami, but it was perfect timing as McNorton revealed she was heading to the same place for her birthday.

Their romance blossomed after they met in Miami, and in 2015, they got engaged in Baltimore. As Johnson Jr. recounted, it was a playful proposal as he pretended to measure her finger, making her think a proposal might be coming.

McNorton is private about her life, particularly on social media. Occasionally, she does step into the public eye.

Eventually, Johnson Jr. knelt and surprised her with a ring. She accepted. Interestingly, the ring was the same item McNorton had brought with her during their vacation in France a year prior to his romantic gesture.

McNorton recalled that he once asked him to grab a box from a cabinet without looking at what was inside and keep it in her purse. It was only after the proposal that McNorton asked him about the box he had given her.

He told her it was the ring he had forgotten about and explained that he was waiting for the right time to propose. The couple tied the knot in a beautiful wedding ceremony in 2016 and later expanded their family.

Her husband has three sons, two of whom are their children. The eldest son of Johnson Jr. was the product of a previous relationship and resides in Atlanta with his mother.

Brittney McNorton Has Had A Few Appearances On Public

McNorton is private about her life, particularly on social media. Occasionally, she does step into the public eye. She attended an ESPN party with her husband in 2015 and another in Michigan in 2017.

McNorton witnessed Johnson Jr.'s induction ceremony into the NFL's Hall of Fame in 2021. In 2016, she supported her husband during his participation in the "Dancing With the Stars (DWTS)" semi-finals, where he competed with his dance partner Lindsay Arnold.

Notably, McNorton won third place in the show's finals. "DWTS" is one of the longest-running shows on TV, hosted by Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli.

Other celebrities who have competed in the dance competition, like Johnson Jr., are actor Alfonso Ribeiro, social media star JoJo Siwa, and musician Jason Mraz.