I have never seen or heard of a team getting arrested as many times as members of the Detroit Lions have this year.
Reading articles about “who got in what trouble with the law this week”, isn’t exciting as a Lions fan. It brings groans and moans about how the team needs to change. This is not a topic that fans want to discuss with their friends especially after all of the change that the Lions needed to do on the field to get back into the winner’s column.
The Lions have already worked hard to change their performance on the field. The changed how everyone thought of them (the team who goes 0-16 makes it to the post-season), but now fans’ perceptions of the Lions are not so great. Now, Detroit has some entertainment for the Thanksgiving football game instead of a massive blowout and there isn’t fear of games being blacked out due to lack of attendance. But those things won’t settle the feelings of a concerned parent who’s child looks up to a player as their role model.
I think it’s time for a change, some form of punishment, or something to keep players on their best behavior off the the field because there are people who look up to professional athletes. And fans don’t want to have to read articles about their favorite players lack of control off the field.
It’s time to step it up, not only on the field (a Super Bowl appearance would be nice), but off the field too.