Getty Lawrence Jackson's headshot for the 2011 Lions.
The Detroit Lions struggles through the years have led many to claim they want to buy the team to try and fix things. One former player is making his declaration on the matter very public and very serious.
Former defensive lineman Lawrence Jackson wants folks to know he is serious about buying the team. He’s done his research on the franchise and posted to Twitter his clear intentions for the future moving forward.
So how does Jackson plan to get in the mix to buy the team? He understands he will need to do some convincing to the Ford family. As he tweeted, he feels that will be simple as he has a great understanding of the Ford mindset already, and plans to use it moving forward if he buys the team as a blueprint.
For Jackson, owning the Lions would be about making big change and not about money.
During his short 3 year stint with the Lions, Jackson was a solid pass rusher putting up 13 sacks and 49 tackles while forcing 5 fumbles. He was a player that could be relied upon for leadership, and was always very blunt about what went right and what went wrong on the field. Those traits could theoretically serve him well as an owner.
It’s rare to see former players own franchises completely, yet not odd to see many with a stake in things. Jackson has a great head on his shoulders and seems completely motivated on seeing through this dream. What’s more, he seems to have a good idea what needs to change from his time on the inside. That itself makes this an interesting idea to ponder.
Anyone who admits publicly their commitment to a project such as this deserves respect and attention. That’s true even if the Lions don’t figure to be for sale any time soon.
Lawrence Jackson Feels Lions Letting Down Matthew Stafford
If it’s one thing Jackson knows already, it’s the value of a great quarterback. It’s clear he feels that way when it comes to Detroit’s signal caller. Jackson, who has been critical of the team in the past on social media, admitted that when it happened, he was merely speaking out of frustration for Matthew Stafford. Jackson says that such critiques of the team were out of love and frustration due to how things were handled with the quarterback.
I love Matthew Stafford and thinks he’s a HELLUVA QB. He’s one of the toughest, humblest, funniest guys that I know…
When I critiqued the Lions out of love…I thought they the Organization failed Matt. They stifled his potential and wasted the surrounding talent.
You’d be hard pressed to find a player who has done more for the franchise than Stafford has while being more humble, and it’s something his teammates like Jackson notice. It’s why most will step up to the plate to defend him and his abilities.
Clearly, Jackson’s comments were also meant to give Stafford credit as much as try to motivate the organization to do more in order to support them. It sounds as if the team wants to do that now, and the hope is the team can continue to build around Stafford so there won’t be more frustration like this to note in the future.
Obviously, as an owner, Jackson would probably commit to having his quarterback completely supported the whole way.
Martha Ford’s Ownership of Lions
Ever since her husband William Clay Ford passed away in 2014, Ford, 94, has been the primary owner of the Lions. The team has been in the family since 1963, and most fans would admit that through the years, there hasn’t been a ton of good that has played out while the Fords have been primary owners. The Lions have just one playoff win in that span, and haven’t won a division title since 1994. Misery has been the most common emotion associated with the Lions during the family’s tenure as owners.
Since taking over from her husband, however, Ford has shown more of a propensity to shake things up rather let things sit. She hired Quinn from outside the organization a few years back. She also allowed the team to be aggressive in their pursuit of Patricia. She’s allowed the team to spend to lure free agents to town and keep their own stars. Mr. Ford was more inclined to sit back and let his trusted associates run the show however they saw fit for however long. Ford maintains her drive is strong to be able to win, and her ultimate goal is to win a Super Bowl. At her advancing age, that might be difficult unless the Lions get things right in a major hurry.
Why Martha Ford Probably Won’t Sell the Lions
Like it or not, the Lions are a family business for the Ford crew. Selling the team before Ford passes away stands almost no chance of happening. Even so, whenever Mrs. Ford passes away, the team is likely to be passed down through the generations again to a new breed of Ford relatives. In all likelihood Martha’s daughters or her son William Clay Ford Jr. will take over as new owners. In the past, Ford Jr. has preferred to operate behind the scenes, which could mean the Lions may be set to be taken over by the next generation of Ford females.
Many argue that there might not be much convincing someone could do from the outside to change this opinion.
Lions fans like to cling to hopes the Ford family will sell out, but the Lions are a Detroit product owned by a Detroit family that played a direct hand in the rise of the city. It’s impossible to see that changing in the short term, no matter how frustrated folks might be with what’s transpired with the team whether now or through the decades.
It’s Jackson’s dream to own the Lions, and as much as it might make sense and be intriguing, it will be interesting to see if he could pull off what seems improbable in the future.
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Former Lions Defender Reveals Detailed Plans to Buy the Team