The Detroit Lions unveiled new uniforms on Thursday, including black alternates. It turns out head coach Dan Campbell requested those black jerseys. And what MCDC wants, he gets.
Lions team president Rod Wood told reporters Thursday night at the club's new jersey launch that Campbell lobbied for the black jerseys to return. The former tight end wore them during his run with the club from 2006-2008.
"So, we're in the draft room, literally months into his tenure -- and he wore the black when he was here -- and we're in the draft room, and he said, 'Rod, when can we get the black jerseys back?'" Wood told reporters, via Jeanna Trotman of WXYZ. "I said, 'I'll make a deal, when you win the division I'll bring the black jerseys back.' So I went out on a limb, and thankfully, he delivered. That's a true story."
The Lions won their first division title in 30 years last season, taking the NFC North with a 12-5 record, so Campbell got his wish.
"He loved them," Wood said of the black unis. "When he was here, he wore them, and I think it was kind of the team's favorite at the time, and he just kind of pined for it again. For him it's a throwback because it's when he was a player. I think they've dressed up even better than when he was here…It's a better look than the silver pants we wore at the time."
Among Lions fans, the black fits can be divisive. For some, they harken back to a dismal time in franchise history during the early 2000s when the club was historically bad, including the 0-16 2008 squad.
"There is a little history there, I'm well aware of it," Wood admitted. "But we're a new team, new leadership, new players, and I think the past is the past."
The future in Detroit looks promising under Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes. Now, it's on Campbell to turn the sigma of the black from negative to positive.
