Detroit has become home to me. In football years, I’ve spent more time in this city than I have anywhere else. It’s a place that’s really special to me; where I’ve grown up and become a man. My daughter was born here, my son is going to be born here, and I have a lot of really great memories. The people have been nothing but loving and embracing.
I didn’t take it lightly that this organization picked me to come here and try to help turn it into a winner. It’s pretty fulfilling to now fast forward, nine years after being drafted and we’re making noise; doing things the right way and making the city proud. I’m happy that I still get to be a part of it, as not a lot of guys get to be on the same team or in the same city for this long.
Detroit has become home to me. Our team is making noise; doing things the right way and making the city proud.
Dan had this vision of building a team that would embody the city. People are dying for a winner, and they love football. That’s just Detroit. You can feel the yearning, especially over the past couple of years as we’ve been gaining momentum, how excited they are. The fans drive our game. If they don’t feel like they can relate to us on a human level, or on a work ethic level, it creates distance between us. We’ve done a really good job of embodying what this city is about.
I went to college in Columbus, Ohio, and there’s a company there called Classic Ford Broncos. They do resto mods, and have a big stock of vehicles you can choose from. I followed their social media accounts while I was in college, and when I was able to get into the NFL, I knew it would be my dream car. It took about a year to build, and I was able to pick the year of the vehicle and paint colors; customize it as much or as little as I wanted to. I’ve had it for about five years now. The engine is a Ford Coyote Racing V8, so a lot of horsepower for a little car like that. I love driving it; it sounds mechanical, you can hear and feel the engine, and I’ve got the crank windows. I kept it as classic as I could.
My Cause:
Through the Detroit Lions and our Inspire Change program, we’ve been able to support Alternatives For Girls. It’s a Detroit based charity, and they help women and children who are experiencing or at risk for human trafficking. I’m a father, my wife is incredible, and it’s something that is super important to me. I can think of nothing scarier than a situation like human trafficking. That problem hits home. I was able to go visit those people, see what they do, and to see the incredible work that they’re doing; those are some real heroes right there.