Lions Owner Discusses Millen's Firing In Wide-Ranging Interview
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Ford Sr. Says He Has Remained
Friends With Millen Since Firing |
Lions Owner William Clay Ford Sr. yesterday spoke to the Detroit media "for the first time since firing" former President & CEO Matt Millen in September, and Ford said that he "reached an amicable settlement recently on the balance of Millen's contract and that the two remain friends," according to Nicholas Cotsonika of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Ford declined to reveal terms of the settlement, but he noted that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "had offered help in finding a new general manager and coach." Ford said of Millen's firing, "It didn't work out, and we parted ways, and it's history." Ford said he and Millen never "totally disagreed on anything." Ford: "It all worked out. That's about all I could really tell you, and amicably. So that's about it." When asked what spurred the firing, Ford said, "You can answer the question probably as well as I can. Everything. It just wasn't going right. ... He didn't really have much experience as far as being a general manager goes. He knows the game, obviously. ... Maybe he was a little precipitous about some of his judgments." Ford said he "maybe" supported Millen for too long. Ford: "But I think circumstances, timing, were important. You don't want to jump ship after two games or one game or anything like that. When the fans were really getting fed up, you think, 'OK, time to make a move.' Thought about it, obviously. But the timing just worked out the way it did." Ford's son, Lions Vice Chair Bill Ford Jr., in September said that he would have fired Millen sooner, and Ford said his son "just said what was on his mind." Ford: "I wasn't surprised by it, because I'd heard it." When asked if his son's comments led to Millen's firing, Ford said, "It was a combination of so many things. I don't think that was really a factor, because we'd discussed it at length prior to that."
TRUTH HURTS: Ford said the Lions' 0-16 record last season "wasn't very much fun." Ford: "I feel so sorry for the fans in Detroit. I mean, I give them full marks for being loyal and showing up. We didn't perform the way we should have performed or the way we could have performed. ... For the fans who stuck through it, I can't tell you how great that makes you feel. And those that walked away, I couldn't blame them. ... People were getting fed up, and as I said, I didn't blame them a bit. We didn't put on much of a show for them." Meanwhile, Ford said hiring Lions coach Jim Schwartz in January was "solely" his decision. Ford: "If Jim Schwartz doesn't work out, you can blame me 100%. I just have confidence in him." When asked if he would have overruled Lions President Tom Lewand and GM Martin Mayhew if they wanted another coach, Ford said, "We would have had a long conversation about, 'OK, why do you want so-and-so, and what's the matter with Schwartz?'" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/25).
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