DETROIT -- Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford shrugged off the hecklers center Dominic Raiola told off late in Sunday's 17-10 loss to St. Louis.
Here's what Stafford said Monday during his weekly sponsored segment with Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom on Detroit's WJR-AM: "They're not going to run me out of town. I'm not too worried about it."
Stafford said he was near the water cooler Sunday when he started getting it from fans, after throwing the ball out-of-bounds on fourth-and-20 on the Lions' final offensive play.
"They want to win probably as bad as we do, and it's understandable," Stafford said. "They're going to get after guys when the team's not playing well. I like to think that I do a pretty good job of letting that stuff go.
"Dom was just standing next to me and was like, 'Hey, man, don't let that stuff get to you.' And I know that. I've been in tough situations before. It's just great to have a guy like Dom on your side. The guy comes to work every day trying to get better and to have him on the field next to us is great."
Raiola said Sunday that he fired back at three or four fans, without repeating what he said.
He said he loved the fans but would always stick up for his teammates, and he brought up quarterback Joey Harrington, the No. 3 pick in the 2002 draft, who went 18-37 as a starter in Detroit and was a frequent target of abuse. He said fans should back up Stafford, the No. 1 pick this year.
"You want to run him out of town already?" Raiola said. "You know what I'm saying? That just hit home with me because I've been through it with Joey. I've been through it. They sent him packing. Quick. And they're not going to do it to this guy. I'm going to be right here next to him."
Asked what Raiola said to the fans, Stafford told Albom: "I don't even remember, to tell you the truth. He didn't say anything terrible. He was just like, 'Give him a break,' 'Get out of here,' that kind of thing. It wasn't a big-time verbal altercation or anything.
"Yeah, he's right. They're not going to run me out of town. I'm not too worried about it."
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