Yardbarker: Dominic Raiola

Dominic Raiola deserves credit for recent play on Lions' offensive line

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:47:05 -0500

Let's hand out the game balls to three Lions players -- one each on offense, defense and special teams -- after Detroit's 34-12 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Schwartz gives Stafford another stripe as a leader

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:59:00 -0500

Don't call him Captain Stafford. But in a subtle way, Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford has earned another stripe as a leader. Coach Jim Schwartz has sent out Stafford for the coin toss at least the last couple of games, a duty usually reserved for the team captains. The Lions elected team captains before the season: center Dominic Raiola on offense, linebacker Larry Foote on defense and kicker Jason Hanson on special teams. Raiola and Foote usually go out for the coin toss, whil...

Okay, who's booing Matthew Stafford?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:30:12 -0500

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford(notes) was heckled and jeered as he left the field after the Lions' loss to the Rams on Sunday. Stafford said today that he's not worried about being booed, and that he understands the fans' frustration with the Lions' ... well, let's call them "struggles." Stafford seems like an understanding and forgiving chap. And that's good, because if had gone on the radio today and said, "Anyone who is booing me ri...

Kevin Seifert: Dominic Raiola, Cliff Avril heading in different directions for Detroit Lions

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:27:43 -0500

As a center, Dominic Raiola is used to defending quarterback Matthew Stafford. So when Detroit Lions fans started heckling the rookie during a 17-10 loss to the St. Louis Rams, Raiola did what came naturally and stuck up for Stafford....

Stafford on his critics: 'They're not gonna run me out of town'

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:33:05 -0500

If Matthew Stafford is Clifford Peache, then Dominic Raiola is Linderman. Call it "My Bodyguard 2: The Sequel," and give the Lions' offensive captain credit for defending his rookie quarterback, even if you want to question Raiola's short-tempered methods. Stafford got his first

Matthew Stafford on angry Lions' fans: 'They're not going to run me out of town'

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:35:55 -0500

ALLEN PARK - Detroit Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford downplayed an incident in which teammate Dominic Raiola yelled at fans during Detroit's 17-10 loss to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday at Ford Field. In an interview with a Detroit...

Dominic Raiola right to stick up for Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:28:57 -0500

Detroit's center fired off a few obscenities to fans who were getting on the team's starting quarterback.

Lions Center Dominic Raiola Signs Four-Year Extension

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:19:51 -0500

The Lions today inked center Dominic Raiola to a four-year contract extension, keeping him with the club through 2013. The deal includes $20 million in new money, with $9 million guaranteed. The center said Thursday that he never thought about playing out the last year of his deal and moving on. “There’s so much I put [...]

Heads Up, Detroit: Dominic Raiola's Around for 4 More Years

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:40:00 -0500

by Chris BurkeFiled under: LionsFord Field was, as you might expect given Detroit's super awesome 2008 season, not exactly a happy place to be. Things boiled over in Week 13 when center Dominic Raiola took offense with a particularly unruly heckler and gave him the finger -- then refused to apologize, instead stating that he wished he was allowed to challenge detractors to fights.Here's hoping that things improve in the Motor City soon, because the Lions and Raiola have agreed to a fo...

Lions Ink Center Raiola To Four-Year Extension

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:27:24 -0500

The Lions announced Thursday that they have extended center Dominic Raiola’s contract through 2013. Probably most famous for flipping Detroit fans the bird last season and hinting he wanted to fight them, Raiola started 100 straight games before a fractured thumb knocked him out four games in 2009. Raiola, 30, was part of Matt Millen’s original draft [...]

Lions C Dominic Raiola Excited About QB Matthew Stafford

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:24:52 -0500

Lions center Dominic Raiola can't help but be excited about the player he'll be snapping the ball to this season. Rookie Matthew Stafford is...

Detroit Lions' Dominic Raiola Stands By His Vulgarity, Urges Fans To Come To His House To Fight Him

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:19:34 -0500

"I don't take one thing back," [Raiola] said Monday.

Raiola said fans have been particularly hard on him because he's been with the team since 2001, when it started a slide that has become the NFL's worst eight-season stretch in more than a half-century.

"I'm just so frustrated," Raiola said. ...

Raiola Does Not Regret Obscene Gesture

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:19:27 -0500

From: Sports Illustrated Center Dominic Raiola says he has no remorse for making an obscene gesture toward Lions fans because their heckling went too far. Raiola told a reporter he didn't regret extending his middle finger toward fans Sunday during a 20-16 loss to Minnesota, which dropped the Lions to 0-13. "I don't take one thing [...]

Lions C Dominic Raiola Won't Play Vs Titans

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:32:35 -0500

Lions center Dominic Raiola will not be ready for Thursday's game against the Titans. He is recovering from a fractured thumb. Raiola has been the...