Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell to miss rookie camp for personal reasons
Dave Birkett wraps up 2024 NFL draft for Detroit Lions
Lions beat reporter Dave Birkett joins Carlos and Shawn to help break down all the draft moves made by the Detroit Lions, April 27, 2024.
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell will miss this weekend’s rookie minicamp for personal reasons.
Campbell is expected back with the team later this month.
The Lions have three days of minicamp practice today-Sunday at their Allen Park practice facility for rookie draft picks, undrafted free agents and select first-year and tryout players.
Several Lions rookies said during the draft they connected with Campbell during their pre-draft visit to Detroit and were excited to play for him this fall.
“Just walking down the hallway, seeing all the historical figures on the wall and seeing the amazing facility, but most importantly, to me, was meeting head coach Dan Campbell and the GM,” offensive lineman Gio Manu said. “Both of them are really good guys. I relate to their work ethic and all that. And I loved my visit overall and I remember leaving, I told myself, ‘I felt at home here and I would not mind at all if these guys took a chance on me.’ And I so happen to be here now, so it was great.”
The Lions made six picks in last month’s draft. They traded up for Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold in Round 1, grabbed Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in Round 2 and added Manu, running back Sione Vaki, defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo and offensive guard Christian Mahogany on Day 3.
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Vaki compared Campbell to his coach at Utah, Kyle Whittingham, and said both have similar standards “as far as just putting our head down and working.” And Rakestraw said his interactions with Campbell made the Lions one of his favorite pre-draft visits.
“I liked how Coach is, Coach Campbell, his philosophy and the coordinator’s philosophy about physicality,” Rakestraw said. “I feel like that’s what I bring, so I felt like it was a great fit.”
After rookie minicamp, where players attend meetings and practice without pads, the Lions have nine Organized Team Activity practices May 21-23, 29-31 and June 10-12, and a three-day mandatory minicamp June 4-6.
Vaki deal done
Vaki finalized his four-year rookie contract and is expected to sign with the Lions before Friday’s first practice.
The 132nd overall pick in the draft, Vaki deal is worth a slotted value of $4.67 million, according to Spotrac.
Historically, the Lions have signed most of their draft class to contracts before the start of rookie minicamp. All rookie deals are slotted under the current collective bargaining agreement, though some contracts take longer to finalize because of negotiations over guaranteed money.
Vaki played safety and running back in his two seasons at Utah but will start his NFL career on offense and projects as a key special teams player this fall. He had 42 carries for 317 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
Stellantis: The automaker’s history, legacy
Explore the history of Stellantis, the automotive giant formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group.
- The Stellantis voluntary buyout offer comes as the automotive industry deals with potential headwinds.
- It’s not clear how many employees will be allowed to take the deal.
Stellantis is offering voluntary buyouts to hourly UAW employees at more than 20 Detroit and Toledo area manufacturing facilities and Mopar locations.
The locations include Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, Warren Truck, Detroit Assembly Complex, Toledo Assembly Complex, Chelsea Proving Grounds and CTC facilities.
The automaker, which owns the Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat brands, is offering lump sum payments for employees with at least one year of service, according to a copy of the offer letter obtained Thursday by the Free Press.
Payments range from $50,000 for workers with at least one year of seniority but less than 15 years to $72,000 for workers with 25 years or more seniority. The offer also includes six months of medical benefits, excluding dental.
The offer, which is active from March 24 to May 8, stipulates that management will choose who can take the buyout. Some employees will be able to leave immediately, following a seven-day revocation period, but others might remain until Sept. 30.
It wasn’t clear how many workers the company might be targeting.
Spokespeople for both the UAW and Stellantis have been asked for comment.
Stellantis had faced criticism for rounds of job cuts last year at its U.S. facilities, and the automaker had a challenging 2024, dealing with issues ranging from lower sales to high inventories. It also saw the exit of former CEO Carlos Tavares and is searching for a new CEO. More recently, the narrative around the company had been more positive as it adjusted its vehicle pricing, became more assertive with its marketing and lowered its inventories.
However, the threat of tariffs and uncertainty in the market is raising a host of new challenges and potential headwinds for Stellantis and the rest of the automotive industry.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This is a developing story.
Ghana’s popular African music festival is coming to the U.S. and bringing stars across genres
AfroFuture, the African music festival native to Ghana since 2017 (then as Afrochella) is coming to the U.S. for the first time. Rolling Stone can exclusively announce that Davido, Kaytranada, Tee Grizzley and more are among the first wave of AfroFuture headliners that will represent a global swath of Black music Aug. 16-17 in Detroit.
Nigerian Afrobeats leader Davido, who will be releasing his fifth album imminently, also had a vibrant set headlining AfroFuture in Ghana in 2023. Also repping Nigeria will be singers Flavour (known for “Nwa Baby” and other classics) and Lojay (the star vocalist on Sarz’s “Monalisa”). Gims will join the AfroFuture’s Afropop roster as a French-Congolese singer and rapper with over two decades in music between the hip hop group Sexion d’Assaut and his solo career.
Kaytranda will take the stage as a big nod to Detroit’s historic dance and electronic scene. Rapper Tee Grizzley, who is a Detroit native, is set to perform as well. Dancehall star Skillibeng (“Crocodile Teeth,” “Jump” with Tyla and Gunna) will put on for the Caribbean while Ludmilla is set to showcase her electric brand of Brazilian funk. Festival DJs will include DBN Gogo, Juls, TxC, and DJ K-DAWG & EZ Pass, while popular parties Jerk X Jollof, Days Like This, Obi’s House and Toasted Life will also carve out their own corners of the fest.
“With an explosive lineup across two dynamic stages, we’re blending Afrobeats, Amapiano, hip-hop and techno with art, fashion, beauty, and food. From a Black designer marketplace to interactive cultural experiences, every moment celebrates heritage while embracing innovation,” AfroFuture CEO and co-founder Abdul Karim Abdullah said in a statement.
AfroFuture Detroit will be held at Bedrock’s Douglass Site, Bedrock being a midwest real estate firm that has operated more than 140 properties across Detroit and Cleveland, Ohio. The festival will be produced by Paxahau, the company that has also helmed Detroit’s popular EDM Movement Festival since 2006 and the Detroit Jazz Festival since 2011. Ticket presale begins on March 20. AfroFuture is partnering with Delta for discounted flights to the festival.
(WXYZ) — A group of Detroit Tigers players met the newest tiger at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.
Colt Keith, Matt Vierling, Tyler Holton, Will Vest, and Zach McKinstry, along with their families, took a break from spring training to visit the park and spend time with Bakso, a critically endangered Sumatran tiger cub.
“I think it’s kind of cool to have the kids out to see this. For my son, anytime that he sees a tiger — he’s always like, Daddy’s team! So he’s starting to kind of connect the dots there. It was cool to be up-close and see the baby cub walking around,” Tigers pitcher Will Vest said to Disney Parks Blog.
Bakso is now six months old, and Disney says he “serves as an ambassador for his declining species” with less than 600 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.
“I’ve been here before and I have seen the tigers, but not a cub. So that was really special,” Tiger pitcher Tyler Holton told Disney Parks Blog. “Seeing the little guy — being a Tiger, seeing a tiger, it definitely is an interesting perspective. Obviously, everyone has their nicknames, but to be here at Disney and see the real-life tiger is cool!”
The Tigers open their regular season in Los Angeles on March 27 against the defending World Series champion Dodgers.
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