Lions president Tom Lewand held a conference call with reporters Saturday to discuss the NFL lockout, but instead continued to field questions about the tampering charge the league penalized Detroit with last month.
The *Detroit Free Press* reports that Lewand refused to comment on whether the team has formally appealed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's determination on Feb. 18 that the Lionsviolated the league's anti-tampering policy by publicly commenting about their desire to acquire a player then under contract to the Kansas City Chiefs.
According to the Free Press, the player in question was safety Jarrad Page, whom the Chiefs traded to the New England Patriots last year.
Goodell ruled that Detroit will forfeit its seventh-round selection (acquired from the Denver Broncos) in the 2011 NFL Draft and the Chiefs and Lions will switch fifth-round picks in the 2011 draft. As a result, Kansas City now owns the ninth selection in that round and Detroit the 23rd.
The Lions had the option to appeal the decision in writing by Feb. 28, but Lewand steered Saturday's conference call clear of the topic.
"I don't think we really need to get into that," Lewand told reporters. "I think we've said what we needed to say on that. Both Martin (Mayhew) and Jim (Schwartz) addressed it down in Indianapolis and we'll let the process play itself out with the league. And again no matter what happened, I said this when it was filed a long time ago, no matter what happens we'll be prepared to move forward and we are."
Schwartz said last month at the NFL combine that the league "reached the wrong conclusion" in the case, but no decision to appeal had been made. John Page, Jarrad's agent and brother, has also argued the tampering charge, according to the newspaper.
After losing their seventh-round pick, the Lions are down the five picks in this April's draft.
