This week, news hit suddenly that Detroit Lions assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley was leaving the team to join the Carolina Panthers. At first, it wasn’t clear why Staley would leave Detroit when he was not getting a head coach opportunity elsewhere. All that was clear was that Staley was joining a familiar face in Panthers new head coach Frank Reich, with whom he coached alongside with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Shortly, though, it became clear this was more than just Staley leaving for a new opportunity. Justin Rogers of the Detroit News reported that a big factor in Staley leaving was to be closer to his mother, who was dealing with a health concern.