Former Lions coach Bobby Ross told petoskeynews.com he didn’t think Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders loved the game of football or wanted to be a leader.
Ross, 71, speaking at Beyond the Scoreboard Champions of Character Awards Dinner Tuesday at the Emmet County Fairgrounds Community Building, praised Sanders’ ability and work ethic on the field, however, "I don’t know if Barry really loved the game, but he worked hard at it," Ross said. "He did what he was supposed to do. I always wanted him to be a leader, but he didn’t really want that role.
"He was the only player I ever coached that whenever he touched the ball, you thought he would run for a touchdown."
Sanders’ father, William, said at the time of Sanders' retirement that his son retired because of continued frustration over repeated front-office ineptitude and an increasing dislike of how coach Ross ran the team. After he abruptly retired on the eve of the 1999 season, Sanders didn’t respond to dozens of phone calls from Ross.
Publicly, the running back never admitted that Ross had anything to do with his retirement decision. He said he retired "because as my desire for the game left, I could no longer put my total self into it the way I was used to doing."
Ross retired from the Lions soon after -- in the middle of the 2000 season with Detroit 5-4 and still in the playoff race.
He said he retired mostly due to health problems, though owner William Clay Ford told the Free Press at the time it was more frustration with the Lions, "I just sensed his total frustration, that he played every trick in the book that he knew and none of them were working," Ford said. "When the tank's empty, you can't go any farther."
Ross told the Petoskey News: "I had blood clots in my legs, one in my calf and the other by my knee," Ross said. "I was actually hospitalized for five days, I was on medication that I still take and I had to elevate my legs."
"I had to retire. I panicked, I got scared. I was wrong. My father was a double amputee. I just got scared."
He was the last Lions coach to make the playoffs (1999).
"We had some success and the Lions always had great fans," Ross said. "We used to just pack that Silverdome.
"I made a mistake in Detroit and I kind of went into a closet. After my time there I said I’d never let that happen again. I’d never worked a (salary) cap before and it’s best to have a GM and a coach that can work together and communicate.
"I liked Mr. Ford a lot. He was totally committed to the program and he always tried to get the best players. To this day I really enjoyed working with him."
Ross retired in Jan. 2007 as Army's
football coach after a 9-25 record in three seasons. He went 27-32 in 1997-2000 as head coach of the Lions. He also coached the San Diego Chargers, whom he led to a Super Bowl loss.
SOURCE: Detroit free press, www.freep.com