Back in the saddle: Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez returns to defensive role
Allen Park — In a different life, Malcolm Rodriguez might have been a cowboy. But even though the Oklahoma native is playing linebacker in Detroit, he still draws inspiration from the calf-wrangling aesthetic.
For the season opener last week, Rodriguez married the two lifestyles, arriving to the stadium in a custom Lions poncho, paired his trusty, black cowboy hat. Amusingly, Rodriguez picked up the poncho on an offseason vacation to Mexico.
“We were act Isla Mujeres in Cancun,” Rodriguez said. “We were vacationing for about a week after our season ended. We were walking downtown and I was like, 'Ooh, look at these.' They had San Fran and the Packers, but they didn't have the Lions, so I had to ask.”
Rodriguez claims the marketplace vendor hand-stitched the request. And as he got prepared to head to Ford Field for Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, he stumbled on the purchase he forgot he had made months earlier and knew there would never be a better time to rock it.