Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH
08.13.2008 11:47 am

PM Update: Roy Williams feels no love from Lions fan

  • Email this
  • Print this

Tipsheet is enjoying the friendly confines of Concordia University-Wisconsin, where everybody is exceedingly polite. Mequon is a serene place all around, a lovely hamlet on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Life at the Detroit Lions camp was a bit more hostile. Fan Mike Lazzara got the bum’s rush after verbally abusing receiver Roy Williams. Lazzara, standing atop the bleachers at a lightly attended practice session, loudly and repeatedly criticized Williams for taking plays off.

“I didn’t use any profanity to him,” Lazzara told the Detroit Free-Press. “I wanted just to be constructive and tell the guy, ‘You know, I’m not making $20 million a season.’ The guy takes plays off. You guys look at the tape.”

Well, Lazzara had a point – but Williams didn’t want to hear it. Roy confronted the fan and the two exchanged their views on the matter.

“It just came out of nowhere, and I was like, ‘Huh?’ ” Williams told the newspaper. “And he said it again, and I was just like, ‘What?’ And he said it again.”

Why didn’t he just ignore the catcalls?

Williams explained: “I just wanted to know, ‘Where is he getting that from?’ And he said, ‘You take plays off in the season.’ And I said, ‘Well, why don’t you come and do my job and I’ll do your job and let’s see how it works.’ He said it again, and I said, ‘Yes, sir. All right.’ And I walked off.”

As security hauled Lazzara away, he got a nice hand from the few fans on hand.

“There’s no signs that say you’ve got to stay positive,” Lazzara said. “I wasn’t yelling and screaming and using profanity and all this at Roy. I was just being constructive, and they boot me out. I mean, what in the world? Don’t even open it.”

The Free-Press let Williams have the last word on the matter: “Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. He voiced his opinion, I voiced my opinion and that was that.

“I would have climbed over the fence and climbed up in the stands, if I had a problem. I didn’t have a problem with the dude. I like to interact with the fans. He had a little problem with me. I had no problem with him. I just wanted to hear his opinion.

“So it wasn’t a big deal to me. I’m sorry the guy got kicked out. But he did that. Not me.”

Elsewhere on the goofy receiver front. Bengals publicity hound Chad Johnson may legally change his name. Why wouldn’t he?

And wouldn’t it be cool if Chris Chambers could really do this?

This would be a great drill for the next NFL scouting combine.

Comments are closed.