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One of most entertaining parts of the offseason and training camp is the light-hearted hazing of rookies. We usually get a close-up of that during HBO’s “Hard Knocks” training camp documentary, but we normally don’t see the other 31 teams go through it.
But this offseason has been anything but normal. And while the pandemic will likely cause fans to miss out on things like open training camp, the preseason and maybe even attending the games themselves, the virtual meetings have been the source of some extra content for fans.
Recently, the Detroit Lions have been posting some clips of those virtual meetings from last month, and on Monday, they dropped their best one yet.
Lions second-round pick D’Andre Swift was met with a proposal from head coach Matt Patricia: either sing in front of the virtual audience or get someone else from the rookie class to sing for you. He opted to pass the buck to undrafted rookie punter Arryn Siposs.
Siposs was an interesting choice, because while he is technically a rookie, he has already played professional Aussie Rules football in his home country of Australia. Siposs took center stage at the team meeting, and appropriately belted out Men At Work’s “Down Under.” Check it out:
.@MarvinJonesJr isn't the only Lion that can carry a tune. Get to know @Sippa02 from this virtual offseason meeting clip. pic.twitter.com/4HMLikiPKK
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 6, 2020
It’s a fantastic performance for many reasons. First, he ignores everyone telling him he could stop after one verse, choosing to sing over Patricia and an approving Marvin Jones Jr. But the best part in no uncertain terms was the end, when he pulled out his own bottle of Australian food spread Vegemite, just as he was singing out the words “and gave me a Vegemite sandwich.”
Whether Siposs becomes the Lions’ punter this year or not, he is now a Lions legend in my mind.