Neal Ruhle, midday host at Detroit-based digital sports network Woodward Sports, doesn’t want Lions fans to give Aidan Hutchinson a pass because he is a local kid. The Michigan product was taken second overall by Detroit in last week’s NFL Draft, and Ruhle says that should come with expectations. It was a point that caught the attention of Dave Portnoy.
“This is the National Football League now. I don’t care where you went to college. I don’t care what you do in your personal life. I don’t care about any of that,” Ruhl said on his show. “On Sundays, starting in September, get to the quarterback in the same fashion that Nick Bosa does, because you make the same money he does.”
Portnoy responded by posting a clip of Ruhle’s commentary on Twitter. He said that it sounded like the host was threatening Aidan Hutchinson and had lost sight of the fact that the guy had not played a down yet in the NFL.
Neal Ruhl responded on Twitter with a video poking fun at Dave Portnoy’s emergency press conferences.
“All I care about is the Detroit Lions,” he said after thanking Portnoy for spreading the word about Woodward Sports. “We’ve had one playoff win since 1957. You’re a Patriots fan. You don’t know how that stuff works. You don’t know what that dynamic is like.”
On Tuesday, Ruhl told Joe Maakaron of Sports Illustrated’s All Lions that he is shocked anyone was upset with what he had to say.
“I didn’t think it was all that controversial of a statement. Real wild to say the No. 2 pick needs to produce at a high level, I know,” he said. “The point was this isn’t college anymore. There are no free passes. He will need to perform at a high level, and trust me, no one knows that more than Aidan Hutchison. I’m a Lions fan. I want them to win. That’s all I care about. I like where this team is headed. He will be a big part of it. Shocking, I know.”
