It’s hard to believe, but Detroit Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp has now been on the job for a full year. On June 23 of last year, her mother, Martha Firestone Ford, stepped down as principal owner of the team and handed over the reigns to Sheila.
Though she had been involved in the team for years, I’m not sure anything could have prepared her for the rookie season she had as Lions owner. She watched as Matt Patricia smothered any last remaining hope for the Midwest Patriots regime, fired both him and general manager Bob Quinn a few days after Thanksgiving, oversaw an entire reimagining of front-office structure, had to deal with a franchise quarterback wanting out of Detroit, then handled an offseason with a first-time head coach, first-time general manager—all as a first-year owner.