https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/nfl-lions-reportedly-celebrated-away-matt-patricia-2018-mimosa-party-cam-newton-dance-215302941.html
It was the last day of 2018 and the NFL regular season was finished. A group of 10 to 15 Detroit Lions players broke out the mimosas.
Except this wasn’t a celebration of playoffs. The Lions disappointingly went 6-10 that season. It was, rather, a “cheers” to being away from head coach Matt Patricia at least temporarily.
The anecdote is detailed by the Bleacher Report’s Kalyn Kahler in a piece about Patricia’s attempt to bring “The Patriot Way” to Detroit. The Lions (3-5) hired Patricia ahead of the 2018 season and have gone 12-27-1 since then.
The mimosas, a culminating moment to various player stories of how Patricia made them unhappy or uncomfortable, were definitely not for winning.
Lions’ mimosa party about leaving Patricia
An unnamed player had a bottle of Champagne in his locker gifted to him by an agent for Christmas. He had been waiting for the right time to open it, and saying goodbye to Patricia warranted the pop.
Before the final team meeting on clean-out day, the 10-15 players made mimosas. Via Bleacher Report:
It wasn’t about another single-digit win season for the Lions players. Patricia, a disciple of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, had a communication style that didn’t sit well with players. Part of the issue was the transition from a “player’s-coach type” in Jim Caldwell to more of a strict, micromanaged approach.
https://fansided.com/2020/11/14/lions-players-seem-really-hate-matt-patricia/