Lions Ownership Change, Martha Ford Is Stepping Down

Martha Ford is stepping down as the Detroit Lions owner, but the reigns to the team are not going very far away.

The Lions announced in a press release Tuesday morning that Martha Ford would be stepping down as owner, and that her daughter Sheila Ford Hamp would be taking over as owner and chairman. The Lions also made an announcement on Twitter.

The ownership change is no surprise to anyone inside the organization since the plan has been layed out for a while now. Martha took over the team in 2014 when her husband William Clay Ford decided to step down. It was in the established plan that Sheila would take over eventually, and she has spent the last few years preparing for that day. Both Martha and Sheila released statements about the move.

NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell also released a statement on Twitter addressing the ownership change in Detroit.

This isn't great news for any Lions fans throughout Michigan. Most of the blame for the Lions being so bad has fallen directly on ownership over the last decade. I am definitely not an NFL expert, but it feels like handing the reigns to another family member will lead to the same style of ownership.

I don't want to jump the gun here and say that absolutely nothing is going to change. Maybe Sheila has learned from the missteps of the past, and is ready to do what it takes to turn Detroit into a competitor.

Only time will tell, but feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below.