While the reviews of the new Amazon Prime documentary on Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders have been mostly positive, one former teammate of the Hall-of-Famer is livid over how he was portrayed in the film.
“Bye, Bye, Barry” is a documentary that finally explains why iconic NFL running back Barry Sanders walked away from the sport at the height of his powers in 1998. It was one of the most shocking events in football history over the last 50 years because Sanders left the game behind at just 30 years old and a year removed from a record-breaking 2,000-yard rushing season.
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The assumption has always been that the now 55-year-old left the Detroit Lions behind due to an overall frustration with the team’s results during his 10-year run with the franchise. Over his NFL career, Sanders was only able to compete in the playoffs on five occasions and his teams often lost in the Wild Card round. When they didn’t reach the playoffs they were often at the bottom of the NFC North standings.
That frustrating run for the legendary player is explored in the documentary, and a lot of the blame — as it was during their playing days — is heaped on the inconsistent performance of quarterback Scott Mitchell. The QB played five seasons with Sanders and his penchant for throwing interceptions was a source of frustration and rage for Detroit fans during that time.
Scott Mitchell blasts Barry Sanders and former Detroit Lions coach in Facebook rant
However, one person who doesn’t feel he deserves all the fault is Mitchell himself and he took to his Facebook account on Tuesday to unleash his disappointment in his former teammates, head coach Wayne Fontes, and even some well-known Detroit celebrities who took shots at him in the film.
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“I am so tired of hearing how I was the reason that Barry Sanders never won a Super Bowl. I’m so tired of hearing how I was not a good QB. My only response is [Expletive] YOU ALL!!!!! That includes Eminem (and) Jeff Daniels. A little support from the coach might have gone a long way. Wayne never had my back!
“… Bottom line, Barry Sanders had everything in Detroit. Everyone loved him. Everything was built for Barry to succeed. In his 10-year career, he won one playoff game and the only reason he didn’t win more was everyone else was the problem? How many yards did Barry have in the playoffs in ’94, ’95, ’97? I’ll give you a hint not very many. We all are to blame for not winning [a Super Bowl] in Detroit even Barry Sanders.”
– Scott Mitchell (via The Detroit News)
During his 11 seasons in the league, Mitchell competed for the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, and Cincinnati Bengals. He threw for nearly 16,000 yards and was just shy of 100 touchdowns (95).