Detroit Lions’ Nick Fairley admits he got fat, wants starting job back
By Dan Zinski
The first step in any recovery is admitting you have a problem. Lions DT Nick Fairley has taken that step by admitting that his conditioning hasn’t been up to par this preseason, hence his relegation to second team.
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But Fairley says he’s now working hard and he wants to get back his starting job (via Detroit Free-Press).
"Fairley admitted Wednesday he has gained weight (between 7 and 10 pounds) since the start of training camp for a second straight year, but in his first public comments since his benching, he said he hopes he’ll regain his starting job by the end of the exhibition season.“Really what I plan on doing is just continue to get better as a player and help this team win and just go out there and play my (tail) off,” Fairley said."
Fairley addressed concerns about his work habits and overall attitude:
"Fairley brushed off questions about his work ethic Wednesday — “It’s still the same. I’m good,” he said — and insisted the way he has handled his demotion has shown improved maturity.“When it happened, I sat down and talked to all the D-linemen,” Fairley said. “They got my back, and they know I got their group. We’re one group. We’re going to go out here this Friday, go against the Jaguars and see what we can do.”"
A first round pick by the Lions in 2011, Fairley has failed to develop into the dominating force people envisioned, and is now widely considered a massive bust.
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