Lions fire personnel man Sheldon White
The Lions fired another longtime member of their personnel department, dismissing vice president of pro personnel Sheldon White.
White spent 19 seasons with the Lions and has been a key part of the pro personnel staff since 2000. After the team fired general manager Martin Mayhew in early November, White spent the final two months as interim GM.
But, since the team hired Bob Quinn as GM last month, he’s fired a few of the longstanding members of the personnel department. In addition to White, the Lions had already fired executive Cedric Saunders, who was there 10 years, and scout Scott McEwen, who was there for 29. White was Mayhew’s top lieutenant the past several years, assisting in college scouting and contract negotiations in addition to running the pro personnel department.
White sent a statement to The Detroit News via text message:
"I want to thank the Ford family for allowing me to work with the Detroit Lions for 19 years. My children are true Michiganders. I also want to personally thank Mrs. Ford for giving me the opportunity to be the interim general manager for the last half of the 2015 season. Hopefully we will carry the momentum from our 6-2 finish into the 2016 season. GO LIONS!"
Under the new power structure in the front office, the Lions will have Quinn at the top, and director of player personnel Kyle O’Brien will be his top lieutenant. The team will also have a director of college scouting, a position Lance Newmark will retain after his promotion last year, and a director of pro scouting. With White fired, it’s unclear if the Lions will promote from within or look for an outside hire.
MLive.com first reported the firing of White.
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