Getty Darius Slay prior to a Lions game.
The Detroit Lions shook up their team by trading star cornerback Darius Slay on Thursday, and the move reverberated across the internet since it was revealed.
Slay, though, had plenty to say following the deal. The cornerback has maintained from the beginning that he loves the Lions and their fans, and in his emotional post following the trade, he thanked Detroit fans for all their support through the years.
The Lions have been the only team that Slay has ever known, so it will be a dramatic shift to see him elsewhere. It’s also safe to say plenty of fans are sad about this.
Potential Reason Revealed For Lions Friction With Darius Slay
Why were the Lions so ready to move on from Slay? According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit coach Matt Patricia doesn’t like his players swapping jerseys with opponents. That’s something Slay is famous for and loves to do. Here’s a look at what Birkett wrote as it relates to the possible reasoning behind the lions wanting to trade Slay:
“Slay sat out voluntary workouts and mandatory minicamp last spring in a contractual dispute that was never resolved; his fun-loving personality never meshed with third-year Lions coach Matt Patricia, who abhorred his practice of signing and exchanging jerseys after every game, win or loss; and he didn’t hide his displeasure when the Lions traded his good friend Quandre Diggs to the Seattle Seahawks in the fall.”
Lions fans have been looking for an answer as it relates to why the relationship with Slay went south and how it went south so fast. It’s possible that personality disagreements and traits had a lot to do with that in the end.
Was it the right decision to move Slay in the end? It’s something that the Lions will now find out. Regardless, the move has now been made and this relationship is officially in the past.
Darius Slay Explained Philosophy About Trade
Recently speaking with ESPN reporter Michael Rothstein recently in his podcast entitled The Michael Rothstein Show, Slay was asked about his feelings as it related to the swirling rumors. As he’s maintained in the past, the rumblings have no bearing on Slay or his family.
🚨New #rothshow w/Lions CB Darius Slay (@_bigplayslay23)
We chat
🏈Trade talks
🏈Meeting Kobe/influence
🏈What Lions need to win
🏈Life as a father
Rate/subscribe 👇
iTunes t.co/hbA29dpDlK
Spotify t.co/NEUbFgAO70
Google t.co/Kb9McGJlkC
“I tell my kids that’s the last thing we need to worry about, what my job is doing. We’re going to build our home in Houston. So it doesn’t matter where I be at. If I’m here I’m here, if I’m not, I’m not,” Slay said. “We’re going to be in Houston for the most part just living. We already got that situated, we know this can happen. My son plays video games well enough to know what’s going on, he trades a lot of people on his team. So it will be all good. We’re already prepared for what could happen.”
Slay also re-iterated in the interview that he wouldn’t have minded sticking around with the Lions, even as he is prepared to make a move if needed.
“We’d always love to be here, Detroit, finish my career here, but if we don’t, we’re on to the next road, we’re ready,” he said.
Now he’s on that road to Philadelphia, but he did take time out to give a classy goodbye to where it all started.
READ NEXT: Lions Reach Agreement With Former Vikings DB