SPORTS

Lions: No decision yet on cheerleaders

Josh Katzenstein
The Detroit News
Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford isn't opposed to her team having cheerleaders.

Detroit — Lions president Rod Wood and several players expressed excitement Wednesday about the Taste of the Lions event at Ford Field, which featured dozens of local vendors and drew a crowd of about 2,500. It’s a great opportunity for fans to mingle with players in a casual setting.

But, as has been the case since Wood mentioned the possibility in February, cheerleaders was a talking point during his brief interview, and he said the team still has time to decide if it wants to add a squad for 2016.

“If we’re going to have cheerleaders, we’re going to do it the right way, and if we decide not to have them, we’ll talk about why we decided not to have them,” he said.

Wood told The Detroit News recently that he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t evaluate the possibility of adding cheerleaders with the considerable interest from fans.

Wood said owner Martha Firestone Ford, who mingled with fans Wednesday, isn’t opposed to having cheerleaders, debunking a longstanding rumor. As for what the right way means, Wood said the team would look into all aspects of the game day presentation and consider the legal matters related to having cheerleaders as employees or contractors.

“It’s not as easy as having tryouts and having cheerleaders,” he said.

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