Nick Fairley hasn’t lacked for attention this offseason.
Arrests for marijuana possession and DUI have a way of catching people’s eyes. Some say that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, something that the Lions defensive tackle might disagree with after the last few months. Especially now that he’s getting a taste of how the other half lives on Wednesday.
Lions General Manager Martin Mayhew singled Fairley out for praise during a session with the media at Lions minicamp. As you’d expect, the praise was limited to Fairley’s on-field work as opposed to his two arrests and possible suspension.
“He’s had an outstanding off-season out here on the field, not so good off the field, but he’s been outstanding in practice here,” Mayhew said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “He’s worked his butt off; he’s in great condition. He’s done some things out here on tape, just running around, that make you run the tape back and go, ‘Who is that?’ He has tremendous, tremendous talent level and, hopefully, he can fulfill that.”
While Mayhew’s praise further destroys the notion that Fairley’s roster spot was in danger after the arrests, it also makes it clear that Fairley’s talent level is the only reason that’s the case. If he doesn’t make good on fulfilling it, they could reach a different conclusion in Detroit.