How Former Detroit Lions WR Herman Moore Views Frank Ragnow Saga

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Herman Moore was able to succinctly explain the challenges an organization faces when an unpopular decision is made.

NFL players and their representatives are a close-knit community. The NFL world regularly discusses business matters that are relevant to first-year players and also to veterans.

It can take years for a culture to be built, only to have it torn down quickly, especially if the perception becomes that a team does not really care for their players.

How the Lions treated Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker resonated with the former wideout. He took to social media to pen an article detailing his feelings and the possible impact of the decision to take back of portion of Ragnow's signing bonus.

"The business side is the business side. When money is asked back, that can be talked through and worked out," wrote Moore. "When that spills into the public space, it creates division, and don't think other players (or their representatives) don't see it. They remember it when it’s time for their own negotiation and contract discussions."

Moore, like many fans and pundits, feels it was not in the best interest of the Lions to choose to take money back from a player who sacrificed so much to try and get out on the field on a weekly basis.

"When it comes to decisions like this, there’s room to make a different call. There are players who go above and beyond, who represent everything an organization says it stands for, who lay it on the line over and over again. And in those moments, a team has a choice," Moore explained. "It can follow the contract exactly as written or it can decide, based on what that player meant to the organization, that it’s good.

"That decision isn’t just about money, it's about what the organization wants to stand for, how it wants to be seen, and how it chooses to treat the people who helped build it. Because those decisions don’t stay isolated," Moore added. "They carry into the locker room, into future negotiations, and into how players view that organization moving forward. Sometimes the best decision isn’t the strict business decision, it's the one that reflects the standard of an organization."

Detroit's team president Rod Wood and owner Sheila Hamp have been criticized heavily for choosing money over a player being able to retire knowing the organization still had his back.

The NFL is a business and all involved are aware team's must find young, talented and affordable players.

But when certain players go above and beyond what is expected of them, there should be room for a little grace on the business side of things.

When a billion-dollar NFL team penny pinches, negative feelings are created and a culture that was starting to turn the corner took eight steps backwards.

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