Lions owner Martha Ford has maintained a very low public profile since becoming the sole owner of the franchise following the death of her husband, William Clay Ford, last year. But privately, Ford is speaking up about NFL officiating.
That’s the word from the Lions’ website, which is highlighting a statement coach Jim Caldwell made during his weekly radio appearance about Ford’s frustration with the bad call that went against the Lions on Monday night.
“I think people were kind of expecting our organization to put out a public statement about how egregious that particular no-call was, and all those kinds of things,” Caldwell said. “And don’t think Mrs. Ford is not upset. Don’t think that she doesn’t tell them [NFL officials] and give them a piece of her mind, because she is there at the league meetings – this week or yesterday. And without question, that’s done. We have a protocol that we go through.”
The NFL has told teams not to criticize the officials publicly, but the Lions are tiptoeing around that directive with Ford complaining privately and the team website spotlighting Caldwell’s confirmation of Ford’s complaints.
However they’re expressing their concerns, the Lions have every right to be miffed. Their 2014 season ended with a bad call in a playoff loss to the Cowboys, and now their 2015 season has been dealt a crippling blow in Seattle. Ford absolutely should complain to the league about that.