Damon Harrison gives classy farewell to Detroit, calls release ‘mutual’

Though the Detroit Lions still haven’t made the move official, defensive tackle Damon Harrison Sr. addressed his reported release on Friday night via Twitter. The veteran run stuffer confirmed that he and the Lions were parting ways just six months after he signed an extension that kept him under contract through the 2021 season.

In his tweet, he left a thank you for a lengthy group of individuals, including several Lions employees who rarely get a shout out:

Here’s the full text of his message:

“Never in my career have I made so many life long friends in such a long time. I’m thankful for my time in Detroit even though it was short time. Last year didn’t go as any of us planned and I take full responsibility for my part in it. I never pointed the finger at anyone but myself and I never spoke negatively about anyone but myself. I grew to have a genuine love for the people of detroit because of their passion about EVERYTHING Detroit. You guys embraced me and made me feel as if I was one of your own and I am forever grateful for you guys. I’m going to miss my teammates for sure but the ones I’ll miss the most are the ones you guys never get to see. The guys in the parking lot who dap me up and yell my name everytime I pull in the night before the game. The AMAZING people that have the task of trying to feed us every day in the cafeteria and who made us feel the most at home. The game day crew out front the stadium, the valet guys, the security crew at the medal detectors, the security crew who said “whats good snacks” every home game walking down the tunnel, the team security guys over in allen park who made sure to let me know how much love I had in detroit, and let but not least the training staff who made sure to help put a smile of my face every single day. This release was a mutual agreement. I’m not sure what the future holds for me but whatever it is that MF better be read. Thank you Detroit!”

While the entire message is very classy, it’s that last portion that may be the most interesting. Calling his own release mutual suggests that both sides thought it was best to move on. There will be plenty that speculate Snacks forced his way out or that the Lions wanted him gone, but if you believe Harrison at his word, it was a little bit of both.