Notes: Aidan Hutchinson and his great-grandfather share connection with Lions, Ford family

It took a bit for the Hutchinson family to realize the connection between Aidan Hutchinson’s great-grandfather and the Detroit Lions. But when his family did, the rookie landing in Detroit made all the more sense.

On the eve of Veterans Day, Aidan, his mother Melissa, and his grandmother Kathy Bernardi Morley, all sat down to honor Aidan’s great-grandfather. The interview from The Players Tribune is part of the series Honoring The Brave presented by USAA.

The family shared the story of World War II veteran Joseph Bernardi, Aidan’s great-grandfather on his mother’s side. While serving in the Merrill’s Marauders volunteer unit in Burma, he learned how to cook and would soon become Henry Ford II’s personal chef. Decades later, his great-grandson would play for the Lions, owned by the Ford family.

“It took a little bit to think of Aidan going to the Lions and my grandfather having worked for the Ford family and putting that all together, then when it actually happened, I just thought this is crazy,” Melissa said.

Aidan carries his great grandfather’s namesake — Aidan Joseph Bernardi Hutchinson — and in the video, explains just what it means to him.

“I know it wasn’t an easy route for him. He built the foundation for our family and he did it with a lot of hard work and a lot of grit,” Aidan said, using a word often associated with the Detroit Lions.

You can watch the video in its entirety below.

And onto the rest of your notes.

• Parents can enter their kids in the Detroit Lions #MIKidsCan Turkey Day VIP Sweepstakes. They have a chance to become a VIP — winning a custom Lions jersey, a spot on a Thanksgiving Parade float, 10 tickets to the Thanksgiving day game, and dinner for 10 at halftime.

• Since you guys can’t seem to get enough of Aaron Rodgers’ frustration, here’s a clip of him joining the Pat McAfee Show to discuss his turnovers.

• The Rags Remembered Foundation, established by Frank Ragnow in memory of his father, raised $150,000 in their effort to provide meaningful and therapeutic outdoor experiences for grieving families and financially disadvantaged youth.

• As the Lions gear up to face the Bears this weekend, I found this breakdown from our friends over at Windy City Gridiron of Chicago’s “ridiculous rushing attack, potential passing problems, and poor defense.”

• Sights and Sounds from Sunday’s win.

• The Lions have a less than one percent chance of making the playoffs... the lowest in the NFL, per the CBS Sports projection model.

• “He has shown that he’s capable of being the sort of difference-maker the Lions defense needs.” Aidan Hutchinson earned an A- on this list of grades for NFL rookies, from Bleacher Report.