[Bette]

Below is a copy of an open letter to William Clay Ford. It’s already been sent to Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press as well as Tom Kowalski of MLive.


Dear Mr. Ford,
This letter is on behalf of the members of the Fire Millen - Save The Lions: Sack Matt website. We are dedicated Lion fans and while the focus of our goal is to have Matt Millen removed as President and CEO of the Detroit Lions, it has become painfully apparent that much of the Lion woes that have occurred since you purchased the team in 1964 can be placed at your feet.
On December 4, 2007, Mike O’Hara of the Detroit News noted your distaste for losing. One would derive from this statement and the fact that you have owned the Lions for 44 years there would be a championship team at some point in time. This has not been the case. During your tenure of ownership your club has a winning percentage of 42.88% and appeared in 11 playoff games with only one victory. You may not like to lose but it has becoming apparent to many that it may be more of a fear of commitment.
There have been many great players during your ownership such as Lem Barney, Charlie Sanders, Alex Karras, Billy Sims, Steve Owens and of course, the best running back ever to play the game, Barry Sanders. Great players, while entertaining to watch, can only do so much if the rest of the team around them is merely adequate. The Detroit Lions have never had great teams since you’ve owned the team.

Again, one can only see a lack of commitment on your part. You fail to hire General Managers with experience Russ Thomas was perhaps your best GM but instead of creating great teams, his main focus was to hold down salaries. What enticement do players have in coming to the Lions? I would imagine negotiations with high draft picks are long and drawn out. Barry Sanders is a tragic example. He had little to no supporting cast around him in his 10 years. He would have given up any personal accomplishments in lieu of getting to the Super Bowl. Can you blame Barry for retiring because of the Lions losing culture?
We fully understand that owning an NFL franchise is a business venture. But other Detroit franchises, such as the Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings, have given the fans what they want while still being considered successful businesses
Remove Matt Millen from office and go after Bill Cowher or Marty Schottenheimer and give them what they need to build you a winner. Allow a good GM to stand this team up and represent itself in the manner in which a winning franchise does
Do the right thing, Mr. Ford. It’s time.
Respectfully,
The members of Fire Millen - Save The Lions: Sack Matt website.




Fire Millen - Save The Lions: Sack Matt