Goff clarifies critical comments on Detroit media

Eric Woodyard, ESPNApr 23, 2024, 04:13 PM ET
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DETROIT — Lions quarterback Jared Goff on Tuesday clarified his comments from earlier this month about the Detroit media being overly negative.

“There’s been a ton of positivity. It may have got twisted a little bit, as things do. I was speaking in reference to the question I was asked at that press conference,” Goff told ESPN. “I was answering that question. I was not saying there aren’t any positive news, I wouldn’t really know, but they have been positive to me. I was saying that I think sometimes, some of the people, enjoy the negative news and I don’t think that’s necessarily specific to Detroit.

“I was speaking about our local guys, but I think that’s kind of the world,” he said. “Not to get really grand right now, but it wasn’t necessarily specific to Detroit, it was the world media, sports media, certainly the NFL media and the roller coaster that is and what sells clicks. But, yeah, maybe I should’ve been a little more specific with that.”

#Lions QB Jared Goff and I sat down for an exclusive interview today following his event with Jared Jewelry. He clarified comments from earlier this offseason about the Detroit media relishing in negativity. “It may have got twisted a little bit,” he told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/oji5vejGAK

— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) April 23, 2024

Goff made his comments after he presented a $50,000 check to the local nonprofit Give Merit’s FATE program to help increase the rate of high school graduation.

Earlier this month, Goff told the Willbo’s “Trading Cards” podcast that the Detroit media can almost “relish in negativity” at times, due to the franchise’s lack of success over the years. He was referring to a viral question that was posed by a Detroit media member ahead of the NFC title game, where he addressed the perceived talent gap between the Lions and San Francisco 49ers.

Seven Lions players were named to the Pro Bowl for the 2023 season, which was their most since 1964 while offensive tackle Penei Sewell and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown also received first-team AP All-Pro honors.

“I have this like, I probably need to drop it pretty soon here because I’m hopefully gonna be in Detroit for a long time, but I have this thing with our local media where like they almost like relish in negativity at times,” Goff said on the podcast. “And maybe that’s what gets clicks and that’s what sells, but it’s no longer what they need to live in.

“Like, hey guys, we have a good team. We’ve had success. We can be happy about that, we can celebrate that and not have to write about how we’re constantly the underdog,” he said. “No, teams are gonna be gunning for us now. We won the division and all that. I’m probably overthinking it in my head and it’s the chip on my shoulder and the competitor in me.”

After helping the Lions reach their first NFC Championship Game since 1991, Goff hopes the media that covers the team can now stop focusing on those past failures and embrace the franchise’s new era.

Goff helped the Lions win two playoff games in a single postseason for the first time since 1957, while collecting their first division title in more than three decades, but nobody is satisfied.

During Tuesday’s event, which was held two days before Detroit prepares to host its first NFL draft, Goff also gifted a couple of Lions superfans with a special watch and recognition by Jared Jewelry for their loyalty while surprising Elton Moore, longtime team director of security, who is retiring in May with a “retirement” gift.

Goff got emotional while bringing him on the stage after developing a close bond with Moore following his trade from the Los Angeles Rams for Matthew Stafford in 2021.

The former No. 1 pick has been able to break through in Detroit by winning and developing close bonds with guys like Moore. As Goff enters the final year of his contract, he’s expressed interest in remaining in Detroit and hopes to agree to a contract extension. But until that happens, his focus remains on what he can control.

“I’ve been doing it for nine years now and I’m kind of used to it. I obviously appreciate my teammates’ support, but it’s been easy,” Goff said of blocking out noise involving his potential contract extension. “Just focus on what matters and trying to get better and trying to help our team win games, advance further than we did last year and hopefully be the last team standing at the end. That’s all I’m thinking about.”

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Goff told ESPN. “The expectations are high, but internally, our standards are raising, and our expectations are raising, and we’ve got goals and things we want to do. It’s not like we’re gonna show up and start winning again.”