Once you’re done reading that, say “toy boat” aloud as many times as you can without messing up.

A report released today says that former Detroit Lions receiver and eternal Detroit Lions draft pick bust Charles Rogers owes the team $8.5 million.

The Lions, who paid Rogers a $14.2 million signing bonus as the No. 2 pick in the 2003 draft, said Rogers defaulted on the deal when he was suspended by the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy in 2005. At the time, the Lions were seeking about $10 million from Rogers in pro-rated bonus money.

Whatever amount Detroit is able to recover from Rogers will be credited to the team’s 2009 salary cap.

Rogers, of course, is part of the legacy left by former Lions president Matt Millen. He was drafted second overall in 2003, suffered a couple of injuries, was suspended a few times for substance abuse, and never left a significant impact on the game.

Two questions arise: first, how much money can they expect to get out of Rogers? The guy hasn’t played in three years. And there’s no way of knowing for sure, but there’s a good chance that a lot of his fortune is being spent on making payments on the trappings of a millionaire lifestyle.

Second, what must it be like to be handed millions of dollars at age 22, and be expected to give it all back at age 27? If I had that much money at that age, it would define my adulthood. He screwed up, badly, but so did the Lions when they threw him all that money to begin with. They’re legally justified in taking as much money back as they can, but I’m not sure that they’re morally justified.

Hey, I wonder whether the recouped money will go to Millen’s severence package. That would be kind of a bummer.