Luke Willson grew up in LaSalle, Ont., on the outskirts of Windsor — across the river from Detroit — cheering for the Lions.
The Super Bowl champion and retired tight end played parts of eight seasons in the NFL, primarily with Seattle and one season for his "hometown" Lions in 2018 when they finished with a 6-10 record. "With the whole coaching staff, especially compared to where I had been in Seattle — where we've been to two Super Bowls — it was very disappointing," Willson said. "Very unprofessional at times … for that league.
I thought it was a very peewee style operation, and we stunk that year. "To be honest with you," added Willson, "I got to the point where I thought we were purposely trying to lose.
But that was my own conspiracy … all those things kind of added up … that'll burn you a little bit." Since Willson's time with the team there have been changes, including the hiring of a new head coach and general manager three years ago.