Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford made his first appearance at Ford Field as a member of the visiting team last season when his Los Angeles Rams met the Lions in the playoffs.
Stafford did not receive a warm reception from fans ahead of the game, though, as he was met with boos from the home crowd upon taking the field, which was certainly understandable given the circumstances.
We can't say for sure, but it's safe to say things would have been different if Stafford was returning to Ford Field for a less important regular season game as opposed to the Lions' first playoff game since 2016, which Stafford was at the helm for.
Despite that context, former Lions cornerback Darius Slay, who is now with the Philadelphia Eagles, wasn't thrilled to see how Stafford was received by fans, something he expressed on the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast.
"I'm the biggest fan of Stafford because I played with him for seven years," Slay said. "And I'm a fan of Detroit, man, too as well. Only thing I did not like about what Detroit did [is] when they said they booed him coming out."
"Like, I understand it's the playoffs, but Staff did a lot," he added. "He done took a lot of beatings for that city. He ain't never had none of the best o-line like that line got now."
The boos should not be taken as an indication that Lions fans don't like Stafford and don't appreciate what he did for the franchise. The reaction was more than likely just a result of the situation the Lions were in, plain and simple.
