Fire Millen ('cause he ain't quittin')

Millen: "I'll Never Quit."

Prepared by the Associated Press
Posted: 1 hour ago

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) - Detroit Lions general manager Matt Millen said Tuesday that quitting is not an option he has considered despite criticism of the team's dismal performance in his tenure. "I'll never quit," Millen said in an interview with a small group of reporters, including The Detroit News, which posted some of his comments on its Web site. "I can't do that. I don't even consider that.

"It's the way I'm made."

Asked why he wouldn't quit, Millen replied: "You're given a job, regardless of what it is. You keep on working and trying to get the thing done."

Messages seeking comment on Millen's remarks were left Tuesday with spokesmen for the Lions. Coach Rod Marinelli didn't have any definitive word on Millen's future at his news conference earlier in the day.

About 100 Detroit fans held a protest during the second quarter of the last home game of the season Dec. 24 against the Chicago Bears. The fans left their seats midway through the quarter and gathered in Ford Field's atrium, where they chanted "Fire Millen" while watching the game on the scoreboard.

Detroit is an NFL-worst 24-72 since Millen took control of football operations before the 2001 season. But with a victory over Dallas last Sunday, the Lions finished 3-13, costing them the top pick in the draft, which will go to Oakland.

24-72.