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Quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) was the face of the Detroit Lions franchise for a dozen seasons and was a hero to the fans. (Duane Burleson / Associated Press)
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has spent his career lighting up scoreboards, but this one was more meaningful than most.
It is beside a football field that bears his name at a community center in one of the poorest parts of the city. When he was playing for the Detroit Lions, Stafford and his wife, Kelly, made substantial donations to the SAY Detroit Play Center, featuring an artificial-turf field with their foundation logo in the middle.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Stafford threw the switch to bring that scoreboard to life. It was a somewhat rare public appearance for the Staffords in terms of philanthropy. Often, their work took place behind the scenes and with little fanfare, including their tradition of choosing families in need over the Christmas holidays, providing them with all of their gifts and stopping by to spend the day with them.
That’s one of the many reasons why Stafford and his family are still beloved in the Motor City, something that adds a dramatic twist to Sunday’s playoff game between the Rams and Lions.
Stafford spends the first 12 years of his storied career trying to win the NFC North so the Lions can host a postseason game, but it doesn’t happen. Now, for the first time in 30 years, Detroit has a home playoff game …
And the Lions are facing Stafford.
It’s Henry Ford meets O. Henry.
Making the situation even stranger, Lions quarterback Jared Goff spent his first five seasons with the Rams. The Goff-for-Stafford trade marked the first time in NFL history teams swapped quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall. What’s more, Lions general manager Brad Holmes came from the Rams too.
“The NFL couldn’t script it any better,” said Tom Lewand, president of the Lions for the first half of Stafford’s career in Detroit.
“Matthew is beloved in Detroit. Both he and Kelly made…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/spirit-detroit-transformed-matthew-stafford-235029203.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-01-11 23:50:29
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