Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions bring back DT Levi Onwuzurike on short-term free agency deal
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs talk Myles Garrett, rapid fire questions
“Sonic” and “Knuckles” sat down with Dave Birkett to talk Myles Garrett and took rapid fire questions at Super Bowl 59 on radio row in New Orleans.
The Detroit Lions have made a habit of re-signing their 2021 draft picks. On Wednesday, they kept another one in the fold.
Defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Lions on the first official day of free agency, the Free Press has confirmed.
A second-round pick out of Washington, Onwuzurike was the second-ever draft pick by Lions general manager Brad Holmes.
In the past 12 months, the Lions have re-signed four of their seven selections from the 2021 draft to long-term extensions. Last year, they signed first-round pick Penei Sewell, third-rounder Alim McNeill and fourth-rounder Amon-Ra St. Brown to contracts that totaled $339 million, and Friday they agreed to a three-year, $25.5 million deal to keep fourth-round pick Derrick Barnes from testing free agency.
Jermar Jefferson, the Lions’ seventh-round pick in 2021, has spent most of the past three seasons on practice squad and was not offered a futures deal after the season. Ifeatu Melifonwu, the Lions’ other third-round pick from that year, agreed to a one-year free agent deal with the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday.
Onwuzurike had a modest four-year run with the Lions, making 10 starts and appearing in 42 games, but was coming off his healthiest and best season in 2024.
He played 16 of a possible 17 games as a backup as a rookie, then missed the 2022 season after undergoing spinal fusion surgery. Onwuzurike played 10 games upon his return in 2023, and had 1½ sacks last year while playing both as a big end and defensive tackle on the Lions’ defensive front.
The Lions tried to re-sign Onwuzurike before the start of last season, but the 27-year-old opted to bet on himself and his improved health and play out the season.
At defensive tackle, the Lions return McNeill and D.J. Reader as starters, and Chris Smith and Brodric Martin as backups. McNeill is coming off a torn ACL and might not be ready to start the season, and the Lions are expected to add to the position both perhaps in free agency and April’s draft.
Dave Birkett will sign copies of his book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline,” at 7 p.m., March 24, at the Birmingham Public Library.
Order your copy here.
Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
Detroit’s QLINE streetcar system: Quick facts to know
Detroit’s QLINE streetcar system offers a 3.3-mile ride along Woodward Avenue, connecting key downtown and midtown destinations with a modern, battery-powered transit option.
More than a decade ago, a juror in a Detroit public corruption trial that ended with three men getting convicted in a $97 million bribery scheme exclaimed: “Hopefully this is the end of this nightmare … this is a whole new beginning.”
It didn’t quite go that way as the following years saw two city councilmen indictments, a dozen school principal bribery convictions, a towing scandal, as well as a toxic dirt and demolition fiasco.
And now there’s this.
In a new criminal filing in U.S. District Court, a former city official in charge of the Detroit People Mover shuttle is charged with taking $300,000 in bribes from a businessmen who reportedly billed the city for work that was never performed — all with the help of his connected associate.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday, June 2 in U.S. District Court, the alleged scheme involves 55-year-old Michael Anderson, a former director with the Detroit Transportation Corporation, who allegedly helped Detroit businessman Terrence Parker bill the city for nearly $305,000 in information technology work that was never performed.
Moreover, court records show, Parker’s company has no experience with IT work, but rather performs restoration work on homes damaged by storms and natural disasters. Still, the FBI says, Parker managed to submit 22 phony invoices to the DTC for IT work, including fixing computer monitors — and got paid for all of it. That’s because Anderson was approving his phony invoices from the inside, the government says, and getting money in exchange for his help.
Anderson and Parker both are charged with conspiracy and federal program theft/bribery and face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. They were released on bond following their initial appearances in U.S. District Court. Their court-appointed lawyer could not be reached for comment.
According to the complaint, Anderson, who was hired by the city in 2022, was in charge of overseeing People Mover operations until he was fired in April for conduct unrelated to the pending criminal case. Parker owns a business called Total Care Restoration (TCR), which performs restoration work on homes damaged by fire, water, windstorms, or other elements.
According to the government, Parker was billing the DTC for information technology services, even though his company has no experience in that field, nor has it ever submitted a bid proposal to the city for such work, or signed any contract with the DTC.
Still, the government alleges, between 2023-25, the DTC paid nearly $305,000 to TCR for 23 invoices it had submitted, 22 of those invoices charged for IT services.
“Anderson approved the invoices and Parker deposited the checks into TCR’s bank account. TCR did not submit any invoices or receive any payments before Anderson was hired as Procurement Director. Likewise, TCR did not submit any invoices or receive any payments after Anderson was fired as Procurement Director,” the complaint states.
According to the government, Anderson did actually procure and manage IT contracts with a number of companies while he worked for the DTC. But TCR was billing the city for work that those companies had been contracted to do.
“At least six TCR invoices listed work that was actually contracted to (another company),” an FBI agent wrote in his affidavit attached to the criminal complaint.
Also noteworthy, the FBI agent writes: “Most of TCR’s invoices contained a charge for debris removal. In my experience, debris removal is a common line item for restoration projects but not for IT work.”
According to the complaint, the FBI figured out that Parker was funneling money to Anderson by reviewing their bank records, and noticing that their deposits and withdrawals coincided. For example, on Aug. 16, 2024, Parker deposited a DTC check for $23,934 and withdrew $18,000 cash. That same day and over the next several days, Anderson made cash deposits into his account for $1,500, $1,300, $1,000, $700 and $1,850.
“There is probable cause to believe that Parker paid Anderson a portion of the money from the TCR invoices,” the FBI agent writes.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
Javier Báez hits home run in 2026 spring training with Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez talks to reporters during spring training February 27, 2026, at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Detroit Tigers shut down two of their shortstops on the injured list.
The biggest name?
Javier Báez.
The 33-year-old has been shut down from baseball activities after meeting with a specialist Monday, June 1, about the lack of progress in recovery from a right high ankle sprain, which he suffered April 28. (The Tigers also shut down Trey Sweeney, who has been sidelined with a right shoulder strain since spring training and needs further medical evaluation.)
“We’re still dissecting all the diagnoses and what’s going on with him,” manager A.J. Hinch said of Báez before Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. “He’s just not progressing very quickly, and right now, rest is still part of the equation.”
The Tigers tried to start Báez’s return-to-play progression with running, hitting and fielding drills.
He still felt symptoms of the high ankle sprain.
“I’m not a doctor,” Hinch said, “but I understand it watching Javy go through a very slow process of the swelling and the bleeding and all the things that go on inside that type of sprain.”
How long until Báez returns to baseball activities?
The timeline is unknown.
He isn’t expected to need surgery, which means he should return at some point after the All-Star break in 2026.
“From what I was told, we’re on the right path and everything is going well,” Hinch said. “These are just really tricky. The path that we’re on, we’re just going to go slow. Baseball activity is going to slow down because we’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of the symptoms.”
Before the injury, Báez played in 24 games for the Tigers, hitting .256 with two home runs, two walks and 16 strikeouts. The injury occurred while running to first base against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, as he tried to avoid a tag with an awkward slide.
The 13-year MLB veteran’s contract with the Tigers runs until November 2027. He is in the penultimate season of a six-year, $140 million contract from December 2021.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
-
Alaska23 seconds agoUniversity of Alaska names U.S. Army commander as new UAF chancellor
-
Arizona3 minutes agoDiamondbacks Fans Can Now Vote for Arizona’s All-Stars
-
Arkansas8 minutes agoArkansas DFA Agents seize illegal products in Corning
-
California15 minutes agoCalifornia may take weeks to finalize primary results. ‘This is normal’
-
Colorado18 minutes agoColorado governor vetoes block on surveillance pricing as other states push for bans
-
Connecticut23 minutes agoAfternoon forecast for June 3
-
Delaware30 minutes ago
FOX43 News
-
Florida33 minutes agoRainy stretch continues in South Florida
