Getty Darius Slay celebrates a Lions victory.
Darius Slay watched the Detroit Lions trade his good friend safety Quandre Diggs, and the cornerback can’t help but feel more than a little miffed about the move even a few days later.
Slay, who reacted strongly in the aftermath of the move on Twitter, had more to say when the media met with him on Thursday afternoon. When asked how he was feeling about the move by Justin Rogers of the Detroit News and others, Slay responded “like (bleep).” Additionally, Slay admitted he wouldn’t ultimately rule out signing elsewhere, saying he’d play anywhere. Also, he said he didn’t feel as if there was any loyalty in football.
As Rogers later tweeted, it sure seemed as if Slay was emotional in the moment and still trying to process the fact that the Lions traded someone he was so close to. The move caught most of the team off guard, with plenty of the players sounding off on the internet in the aftermath of the stunning move.
Slay’s unhappiness is to be expected. Him and Diggs were close, Diggs was blindsided and there will be resistance to the move even though the Lions have sound reasoning for making it happen considering the relative depth on the roster in terms of the safety position.
Clearing Things Up
Naturally, Slay knew there would be plenty of questions about his comments once they hit the presses, so he took to Twitter to address things ahead of time after he made the remarks, saying he loves Michigan and Detroit, and always plays his heart out for the city and the fans.
For fans get the wrong impression I love the state of Michigan I give y’all my all on an off the field for u guys!!!! BigPlay just don’t like the business side of it!!!
Nobody questions that given what he does for the team and community, but what folks might question is his desire to stay in Detroit after the comments. With Slay clearing things up, however, it’s probably not fair to worry about that. The Lions could keep Slay in their secondary with a contract extension when his deal expires or before, and that’s even in spite of his holdout this year during the OTA period.
Like Rogers said, Slay is likely suffering from a spur of the moment frustration given the personal nature of the trade to him, and it’s understandable to see him lash out and process the move differently as a result.
A Part of the Game
To a man, many of the Lions players expressed different sentiments, that football is a game where things like this routinely play out given the nature of the business.
While some Lions players expressed their frustration in the moment on the internet, they were taking things much better by Wednesday afternoon, with most agreeing that football is a business where these kind of things can and routinely do happen, even to the biggest of name players.
Fellow safety Tracy Walker admitted he’s still focused on his role and his team, even as crazy changes may swirl and happen around him.
“That’s the front office. My job is to come in to play the best I can possibly play and execute my role. Whatever happens in the front office that’s what happens,” Walker said to the media. “It just goes back to it’s a business you know? At the end of the day you’re going to build relationships. Just because they go to a different team doesn’t mean you can’t be friends with them. Doesn’t mean you can’t hang with them in the offseason. That’s the business aspect of it.”
Wideout Danny Amendola echoed that sentiment, saying he simply does what he can to focus on what he knows amid any craziness.
“I worry about what I can control, and that’s getting ready to play football,” Amendola said. “There’s a lot of business aspect that go into this game too. Like I said, I can only worry about what I can control… I know Diggs was a good football player, great teammate. For that I am thankful I got to play with him. Whatever they decide, they decide.”
Slay is naturally the most frustrated given his personal relationship with Diggs.
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