ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola says he doesn’t mind being out in public and mingling with fired-up fans.
That hasn’t always been the case.
Raiola says he used to watch Tigers games in a suite, not in the stands, to avoid contact with people upset about the team’s woes. He recalls getting booed once at a Red Wings playoff game when he was shown on the videoboards.
Raiola and offensive tackle Jeff Backus, both drafted by former Lions President Matt Millen in 2001, are getting to enjoy a taste of success for a change with the undefeated Lions. They endured the NFL’s first 0-16 season three years ago, hitting rock bottom during the league’s worst stretch of futility since World War II.
