T.J. Lang’s farewell message to Lions fans: ‘Stay with them’

Friday was a tough day for the Detroit Lions, their fans and one of their biggest players. The team decided to release veteran guard T.J. Lang, who was not only a talented player, but a fan favorite and a hometown hero.

Though Lang initially joked about getting fired, he offered a much more sentimental signoff later Friday afternoon in a Twitter post. Here it is verbatim:

“I’d like to express my sincerest appreciation to the Detroit Lions organization particularly Bob Quinn for allowing a kid from Ferndale a chance to accomplish a dream of mine and play for my hometown team. I extremely enjoyed my 2 years with this team and have made some incredible relationships along the way.. ones that will last a lifetime. Thanks to you, the fans, for taking me in as one of your own 2 years ago. The love and support has been overwhelming. I meant every word I said at the end of the year when I said “stay with us” and although it’s no longer us, I beg of you to “stay with them.” They are building something special that this town has long deserved, a championship team. Best of luck to all the coaches and players.. you guys made it fun and worthwhile.

All the best,
#76”

It’s clear Lang doesn’t hold any resentment towards general manager Bob Quinn nor the Lions organization. Perhaps the coolest thing about his farewell message is how he addresses the fans themselves and leaves them on an optimistic note.

Back in December, Lang pled with fans to stick with the team and this regime:

It’s a nice sentiment for Lang to reference back to these comments and leave Detroit hopeful, even though they literally just fired him.

If you’re reading, T.J., we wish you the best in whatever comes next in your career. We appreciate everything you did for the franchise in your two years here.