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Detroit Lions boss Matt Patricia may routinely come under fire for his leadership of the city’s football team, but nobody can ever question what a genuine and caring human being he is.
Following the passing of beloved Detroit sportscaster and personality Jamie Samuelsen, Patricia called into Samuelsen’s former employer 97.1 The Ticket on his own and shared condolences with the staff of the morning show he once helped anchor with a very classy tribute.
Patricia said:
“I want to just call in and just say how sad and sorry I am when I heard this news. I was not aware of his condition until last week, and then the terrible news came so quickly right after. It hit me hard. Jamie’s an amazing, amazing person. I had the fortunate blessing to have a couple in-person interactions with him, a couple in a private setting in training camp. Just a larger than life personality, truly just genuine, wonderful, wonderful guy. Obviously, your heart just aches for his wife, their children and his family.”
Patricia also said that the goal now is to continue the discussion that Samuelsen attempted to raise before his death, which was the importance of getting a colonoscopy. The sportscaster passed away at age 48 after a 19 month battle with colon cancer which he recently revealed.
Certainly, it’s a classy move for Patricia to be public with his support of Samuelsen, his family and his cause during this difficult time for those who love sports in the city.
Matt Patricia’s Caring Demeanor Praised by Players
At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Patricia phoned Oday Aboushi, a native New Yorker, just to show he cared and wanted to see how his player was doing given he was located in a hot spot. It was a gesture that meant a lot to the lineman and still resonates to this day as the team’s unique offseason has progressed.
Joining Good Morning Football, Aboushi was asked to talk a bit about his head coach and what makes him unique. He cited the call during a national pandemic, a moment when the player hadn’t even reached out to the coach for any communication himself.
Aboushi also said that he noticed from the beginning family was vital for Patricia, something which he sees as different and a huge determining factor in what sets him apart in his profession.
“I think the biggest difference right off the bat with Patricia is he cares,” Aboushi said. “He cares more than football, more that statistics. He cares about you as a player, as a man and as a family. Him being a New York guy, he’s big on family and the east coast vibe as family is everything. He treats football the same way.”
Many have had their public differences with Patricia before, but it’s clear this offseason has brought this version of the Lions together in a very impressive way. The coach has been taking command as a leader and to the players, it’s been impressive.
Matt Patricia’s 2020 Leadership Credited
Patricia received plenty of credit for these classy moves, but that has been just the beginning this offseason. Duron Harmon thinks that Patricia deserves a ton of credit for the team’s unified and positive response to the ongoing nationwide discussion about racial inequality. As he said in a recent interview with DetroitLions.com, Patricia should be praised for his handling of the situation and his allowing for the team to share their viewpoints openly and putting football on the back burner for the time being.
Harmon said:
“I believe we’ve been going a lot deeper than some other teams. Obviously I can’t speak for other teams, I’m just speaking off the experiences we’ve had,” he said. “We’ve had conversations each and every day last week. Matty P did a great job brining attention to the team last Friday. He’s given us an opportunity as black men to express our frustrations and for our white brothers in there, to give an opportunity to learn what we go through. Give them experiences that we went through because some people are oblivious, right wrong or indifferent. It’s been really powerful.”
According to Harmon, the reason the team has been able to have such discussions is Patricia setting the tone at the top and letting the players dictate the conversation and where it goes.
“(It starts) with the leadership of Matty P. We started phase 3 last week but with everything going on, how can you truly focus on football? I think he understood that and we were appreciative of that as a team,” Harmon said. “It’s been great conversations from top to bottom. We’ve been able to grow as a team. At the end of the day, this is a team sport and if you can truly commit to each other and love each other no matter your race, gender, anything, that’s how a team really creates a brotherhood and the wins will come off of that.”
Plenty of Lions have spoken out powerfully following a week of discussions and Patricia himself admitted the events have touched him deeply. That’s led to a situation where the team has come together in a very powerful way.
On the field and off, Patricia is being revered for his classy actions, which is certainly nice to see. This tribute to Samuelsen was just the latest reason why.
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