Inside the Article:
On Wednesday, some surprising news broke that assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley was leaving the Detroit Lions because he had accepted a job with the Carolina Panthers. According to reports, the main purpose of Staley leaving Detroit is so that he could be closer to his mother, who is dealing with health issues. On Wednesday, Lions LT Taylor Decker joined the Honolulu Blues Podcast, and he talked about losing Staley.
Taylor Decker respects Duce Staley’s decision
On the podcast, Decker revealed that Staley had called him that morning and they spoke about Staley deciding to leave for Carolina. Decker confirmed that Staely left for personal reasons and because he has to do what was best for his family.
“Duce called me this morning,” Decker shared. “We probably talked for 10 to 15 minutes about it. I believe he called every single person, at least on the offense. I believe he called all of them before he called me. He said he had spoken to all the running backs. He was trying to reach every single guy individually. I know there’s been a little bit of details out to the media that it was — it’s for personal reasons. It’s not because he doesn’t want to be a part of our organization. It’s not because he doesn’t love us, but he needs to do what’s best for his family.
“I respect him as a man for that because he’s a guy’s guy and a man’s man,” Decker continued. “He’s got to handle his business. And you can’t say a bad thing about that, especially given the fact that he joined the Lions organization when we were coming off some really tough times. And I remember one of his first meetings with the team. He kind of took pride in wanting to come here and build something special.”
“I was like, ‘man, you’re being a man and you’re doing what you have to do.’ And it’s a hard decision. But I’m sure — Dan (Campbell), I know for a fact Dan was like, ‘absolutely, you do what you got to do.’ I know all of us will miss him and wish him the best.”
Why it Matters
Listening to Decker speak on the podcast made it very clear that he and his teammates love Staley, and that he will be greatly missed. The fact that Staley took the time to call each of the Lions’ players, at least on the offensive side of the ball, shows exactly how much he cares about them, and how much he loved his time in Detroit.
