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Ex-Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell rips Amazon's Barry Sanders documentary after ex-Detroit coach Wayne Fontes, rapper Eminem and actor Jeff Daniels blamed HIM for the Hall of Famer's abrupt retirement

1 year ago 48
  • Mitchell says he is still a big fan of Sanders, who abruptly retired at age 30
  • But Mitchell is upset that he's being blamed for Sanders retirement  
  • DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news 

By Alex Raskin Sports News Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: 21:20 GMT, 22 November 2023 | Updated: 21:37 GMT, 22 November 2023

Retired Detroit Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell is still a huge fan of former teammate and Hall-of-Fame running back Barry Sanders.

'Bye Bye Barry,' the Amazon documentary about Sanders' abrupt retirement from the NFL, is a different story entirely.

'I just watched ''Bye Bye Barry'' on Amazon Prime,' Mitchell wrote in a Facebook post, originally reported by the Detroit News. 'It was not a very pleasant experience. I was Barry Sanders [sic] teammate for five years. I had a front row seat to some of the most amazing plays in NFL history. He will never have an equal as a pure runner in the NFL. I could argue that their [sic] were several running backs that were more complete, but I won't. Barry was great!'


It wasn't Sanders' depiction in the documentary that bothered Mitchell. Instead, he explained, it was the editorial decision to blame himself for the Lions' postseason struggles that bothered Mitchell.

'I am so tired of hearing how I was the reason that Barry Sanders never won a Super Bowl,' Mitchell continued. 'I'm so tired of hearing how I was not a good QB. My only response is F*** YOU ALL!!!!!'

Mitchell (pictured) led the Lions to a 10-6 season in 1995 before falling short in the playoffs

Barry Sanders, a Hall of Famer, is still considered one of football's greatest running backs

Mitchell even included several Detroit celebrities in his rant after they criticized him in the film: 'That includes Eminem [and] Jeff Daniels.'

The film attempts to learn why Sanders retired from the NFL when he was just 30 and coming off another 1,000-yard season. But, as Mitchell discovered, many felt it was the team's struggles that led Sanders to walk away from football.

And despite leading the Lions to a playoff berths in 1994 and 1995, Mitchell felt he was taking the blame in the documentary.

Most of all, Mitchell was hurt by comments from his former coach, Wayne Fontes, who claimed the Lions wanted to add Joe Montana or Warren Moon before settling on the former Miami Dolphins backup.

Former Detroit Lions player Barry Sanders poses with former head coach Wayne Fontes before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field on September 17

'I can't even began [sic] to tell you what a disappointment it is to [hear] my own coach, Wayne Fontes, who went out in free agency and actively [pursued] me to the point of begging me to come to Detroit, say that he wanted Joe Montana or Warren Moon, and that the only thing that was missing from the team winning the Super Bowl was a quarterback,' Mitchell wrote. 'A little support from the coach might have gone a long way. Wayne never had my back!

'Bottom line, Barry Sanders had everything in Detroit,' Mitchell concluded. 'Everyone loved him. Everything was built for Barry to succeed. In his 10 year career, he won one playoff game and the only reason he didn't win more was everyone else was the problem? How many yards did Barry have in the playoffs in '94, '95, '97? I'll give you a hint not very many. We all are to blame for not winning a (Super Bowl) in Detroit even Barry Sanders.'

For all the criticism of Mitchell, he was excellent in 1995, tossing for 4,338 yards and 32 touchdowns thanks to a trio of polished receivers: Herman Moore, Brett Perriman and Johnnie Morton.

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