The Detroit Lions made a rare in-season move to their training staff Friday, firing head athletic trainer Dave Granito.
First-year Lions coach Dan Campbell confirmed the move after Friday’s preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Campbell said the decision to fire Granito, who was hired in 2019, was not based on one incident.
“Really it’s just, felt like this was the way that we needed to go,” Campbell said. “I don’t really want to get into detail of it. I can tell you this, our guys were getting proper treatment, it was nothing like that. But it just, it felt like we needed to go another way and communication, some of those things, and so we did make that move.”
Granito was one of the last ex-New England Patriots brought into the organization under former Lions general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia. He worked for the Patriots in 2002-16, during of much of Quinn and Patricia’s time in New England, and spent three seasons (2016-18) as director of athletic training at Michigan.
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Assistant athletic trainer Tom Holt will serve as the Lions’ interim head trainer until the team hires a replacement.
“We are in talks with someone,” Campbell said. “I’m not going to give you that name, but we are in talks. And in the mean time, Tom Holt is taking over, assistant trainer, who’s done a really good job. We’ve put some stress on him and he’s answered the bell and been outstanding.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.