There’s a great article in this month’s issue of ESPN The Magazine about Jon Kitna. The article mainly focuses on his relationship with God both on and off the field, but there’s an underlining message of how Kitna has completely turned around the mentality of Lions players.
Walking into the Lions’ locker room a few days before the Vikings game, Kitna was greeted by silence. The Lions have three iPod docks that plug into their speaker system. But when someone began blasting Christian music, a tense standoff ensued. It was noted, loudly, that a majority of people in the room didn’t want to listen to God rock. And so the speakers remained mute until Kitna arrived. “Everyone’s music should be heard,” he said, “or no one’s.” The Christian rock was resurrected, followed by a heavy dose of hip-hop.
“Learning about each other, understanding each other, compromising for each other — that’s what it’s like in a good locker room,” says Lions wideout Roy Williams.
“That’s some real s… that went down with the music and Jon’s response. And that’s the stuff we never had around here in years past. Is that religion? I don’t know. Jon talks to everybody, I know that. And the last quarterback we had didn’t do that.”
It never ceases to amaze me how one strong leader can change the mindset of an entire team. Kitna was mocked nationally for predicting 10-wins for the Lions this year, but all it takes is one guy to believe for an entire team to come together. Kitna’s one of those players that doesn’t get enough respect for what he brings to the game.
