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Niyo: Lions stay close with hire, but next step crucial

Detroit — It’s a family business.

If you understood that — truly understood that — then Thursday’s news about the local pro football team probably came as little surprise.

If not, well, where have you been the last half-century or so?

The decision to hire Rod Wood as the Lions’ new team president — a move announced by owner Martha Firestone Ford in a statement released by the team — certainly didn’t come as a shock to many inside the organization.

The president and CEO of Ford Estates had been around the team’s Allen Park headquarters often in recent months.