Ford and Millen should face angry fans
Let's make peace. For the past couple days we've gone back and forth about whether Lions center Dominic Raiola was within his rights to flip fans the bird. He was fined $7,500 by the Lions and I have no problem with that.
I understand your frustration and your anger. Your NFL team is 0-13. It has lost 20 of 21 games and your head coach carries a 10-35 record. I understand why you pop off and want to explode.
So you lash out at the closest thing you can. Often that is players and sometimes that is journalists who cover the team.
The problem is you do not have an opportunity to bash face-to-face the people really responsible for this. That is owner William Clay Ford and former team president Matt Millen. They are the ones who've ruined this team and you are the ones left holding the bag.
After Millen was fired he snuck out of town like a coward. There was no press conference or even a statement. He got paid $40 million to drive this franchise into the ground and didn't even explain why. He avoided the press like the plague the past three seasons, only talking when he had to.
Ford is even more elusive. The only time I see this man is when he gets into the elevator at Ford Field surrounded by security. The Lions don't want you to get close to him or talk to him. He didn't even face the music when he finally fired Millen about six years too late.
There are a number of media members who have standing requests to talk to him. They've been put on hold for months.
I would love for Ford and Millen to hold a news conference with fans. You would be able to ask questions and vent toward the men who really need to hear it and feel your pain.
If this happened I am sure they would not flip the bird at you. But they sure would want to.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.Comments
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Starting QB
Start Stanton and let's win our first game of 08! Yes...even against Indy! We need the element of surprise and you never know what Drew will do to make a play. Guaranteed he would have crossed the goal line at least once from the red zone last week and that would have done it! The only time you will see Dante run is towards a buffet line!
If you think Drew Stanton is leading the Lions to victory at Indy you are sadly mistaken. But you are allowed to dream. Now I wonder what would be Culpepper's favorite things to eat at the buffet. Maybe he will just go for the grilled fish.
- T Foster
Fan behavior
Fans should be disciplined -- removed from the games -- if they scream profanity or engage in behavior that is detrimental to those around them. We've had a history in Detroit of a coterie of fans provoking athletes to extremes going back to when Ty Cobb went into the stands to beat up a fan who was heckling him (leading to the first player walk out when teammates refused to play after Cobb was suspended). We had the fans pummeling St. Louis Cardinal players with garbage during a World Series game and Jimmy Piersall with coins and batteries in the 1960s, even racing on the field before he kicked one of them in the fanny. And then there was the Palace incident. The problem with abusive fan behavior is that if another fan objects, it can lead to fights. So, the league -- not merely the Lions -- should set up rules for fan behavior notifying them ahead of time that use of vulgarity directed at players or other fans will lead to expulsion from the game. Everyone would benefit.
You know your history well. Thanks for the post. We have had several nasty incidents in Detroit fan history.
-- T Foster
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