When he was hired back in January of 2016, Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn has put an emphasis on character.
Quinn started that he would have a “zero-tolerance policy” when it comes to draft picks and free agency signings, and that has proven to be true during his time in Detroit.
According to spotrac.com, the Detroit Lions are tied for the second-least amount of player suspensions since Quinn’s hire in 2016, with just three. The Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and Chicago Bears also have three, while the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals have the fewest, with only two players suspended on each team over the last four seasons.
Additionally, the Lions are also the only NFL team not to have a player suspended in the last two seasons.
Compared to teams like the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets, who respectively have had 17 and 13 suspensions over that time, the Lions look like a much more disciplined organization.
The three suspensions that the Lions had over that time period were due to two players: Khyri Thornton and Armonty Bryant.
Thornton received a six-game suspension during the 2017 training camp for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy and was released not long after his suspension ended. Bryant received two separate suspensions for using PED’s in 2016 and 2017, and was released immediately after serving his second suspension.
The low number of NFL rule violations and suspensions over his four seasons as general manager has proved that Quinn prioritizes character both on the field and off. This has shown with more than suspensions as well.
According to data gathered from USA Today, the Lions also have the fewest number of player arrests and citations since 2016, with just one. The lone arrest of a Lions player was on former backup linebacker Trevor Bates, who assaulted a police officer in New York City in 2019 and the Lions released him two months later.
In that same span of time, eight players on the Jacksonville Jaguars had been arrested, and seven more on each the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams had as well.
This data has made one thing very clear: Bob Quinn was true to his word. When looking at the charitable actions of the members of this organization, this becomes even more obvious. Say what you want about the Detroit Lions on the field, but the high quality of character within the organization makes them an easy team to root for.