Detroit Lions owner Martha Ford stepping down, will be replaced by daughter

The Detroit Lions announced today that Martha Firestone Ford has stepped down as the principal owner of the team. Sheila Ford Hamp, Martha's daughter, will be taking her mother's place as the primary owner and chairman.

"It has been a great honor for our family to be associated with the Lions and with the National Football League," Firestone Ford wrote in a statement. "I am gratified that this family tradition, which my husband and I began almost six decades ago, will continue under Sheila's guiding hand. It is clear to me that Sheila will provide superb leadership and is fully committed to competitive excellence and community involvement."

Firestone Ford took over as the principal owner when her husband William Clay Ford Sr. died in 2014. Clay Ford purchased the team in 1963 and the family had been actively involved in the team ever since. Ford Hamp had been groomed to take over the role for the last several years and last year she was appointed to the NFL's Super Bowl and Major Events advisory committee.

"My mother has inspired all of us since taking on leadership of the Lions over six years ago," Ford Hamp said in a statement. "She has been a tireless leader to our family, our team and our community. Her smart decisions have given me a solid foundation to take the team forward. On behalf of the family and the team, I want to thank her for her countless contributions. I look forward to leading the Lions to excellence on and off the field."