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Detroit Lions assistant Duce Staley ‘like a son to me’

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Dave Birkett, Carlos Monarrez and Shawn Windsor debate Jan. 26, 2021, whether Matthew Stafford is selfish to ask for a trade, and who might be next QB.

Detroit Free Press

When Duce Staley was passed over for the Philadelphia Eagles head coaching job earlier this month, the former NFL running back decided to join Dan Campbell’s staff with the Detroit Lions in hopes of making sure that does not happen again.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, speaking at the introductory news conference for new Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni on Friday, said Staley is “like a son to me” but that Staley ultimately felt like he had to leave Philadelphia to accomplish his goals.

FREE AGENCY: Predicting what the Lions do with each of their 2021 crop

The Lions hired Staley earlier this week as running backs coach and assistant head coach.

“He’s been a terrific player, coach, leader for us,” Lurie said. “He’ll always be a Philadelphia Eagle. He and I talked well into the night the other night and I love the man. I just believe, and I think he believes, that it’s best for his goal of being a head coach in the league to work for another organization for a while and set himself up the way many of the candidates have.”

Staley spent most of his 23-year professional career with the Eagles as a player and coach before joining the Lions.

He played seven of his 10 NFL seasons for the team, ranks as the fifth-leading rusher in franchise history, and joined the team as a special teams quality control coach in 2011, a few years after his retirement.

DRAFT A QB?: Reading clues from Brad Holmes and John Dorsey’s past to decipher Lions’ plan

In 10 seasons as a coach with the Eagles, Staley was promoted to running backs coach (in 2013) and eventually added assistant head coach duties (in 2018).

According to NBC Sports, he also interviewed to be Eagles head coach in 2016, when the team hired Doug Pederson, and to be offensive coordinator in 2018 and 2020.

Staley is one of the three assistants on Campbell’s staff who neither has ties to Campbell as a coach or player nor was a holdover from Matt Patricia’s staff, but he did play for Campbell’s mentor, Sean Payton, with the Eagles.

Lurie said Staley “is somebody very special to me,” and suggested coming to Detroit will help Staley be a head coach in the NFL.

[ Mark Brunell the latest ex-player to join Detroit Lions staff ]

“It’ll help him, and I just want the best for him,” Lurie said. “I think he’ll be an excellent leader for wherever he is in the future. I just want to share that love for Duce because he’s very special.”

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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Britney Spears’ Former Assistant Isn’t Sure What a Conservatorship Is, But She’s Pretty Sure Britney Doesn’t Deserve It

Image: Frazer Harrison (Getty Images)

No conservatorship has ever been so discussed as the one that hangs over Britney Spears. But what is a conservatorship, anyway? In the forthcoming Framing Britney Spears documentary, Spears’s former assistant, Felicia Culotta, admits that honestly, she has no idea. Per Us Weekly,

“Speaking out for the first time in years, Culotta admits in the documentary that she ‘didn’t then nor do I now understand what a conservatorship is.’ That said, taking Britney’s age and accomplishments into consideration, her former assistant says she knows ‘firsthand [what Britney is] capable of.’”

Thank you for your honestly, Felicia. While she may not understand the concept of a conservatorship, she does seem confident that Britney will eventually emerge triumphant:

“I know at some point she will tell her story. I know she will,” she says. “And I am so grateful for when that point comes, that she’s able to sit down and … everything will fall into place.”

For what it’s worth, Culotta should definitely consider reading Emily Alford’s comprehensive piece on the #FreeBritney movement, which will give her a much better understanding of what a conservatorship entails. Or, you know, just Google it. [Us Weekly]


It’s really been a banner day for celebs who secretly got married! First up we have Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling, who after nearly a decade together may have gotten hitched based on a ring spotted on Mendes’s left hand. Or maybe it’s just a ring. I’m sure the truth will come to light eventually.

Next, a hearty congrats to Pamela Anderson, who confirmed that she did, in fact, secretly marry her bodyguard, Dan Hayhurst, marking her fifth ride on the marriage train.

And because all secret marriages must someday come to an end (sorry, it’s the law), Tim Robbins has filed for divorce from his wife, Gratiela Brancusi. Page Six accurately points out that this filing was a surprise, since no one knew they were married in the first place.

Did you secretly get married today? Please tell us all about it in the comments.


  • Mighty Ducks star Shaun Weiss is celebrating a year sober, and I feel genuine happiness for him. [Page Six]
  • Will Candace Cameron Bure even have Christmas card photos again after all this? [Page Six]
  • Who IS Alev Aydin?! [Hollywood Life]

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