If you were online this week, and especially if you’re a Detroit Lions fan still recovering from the Philadelphia loss, you probably saw the headline floating around: “Lions Rookie Tate Ratledge Asks for Thanksgiving Off.”
And if you thought, Wait… what? That can’t be real, congratulations, your media literacy is alive and well.
Because no, rookie OG Tate Ratledge did not actually ask Dan Campbell for a holiday break so he could eat grandma’s stuffing and watch football with his cousins. The whole thing came from a satirical site (The Onion) poking fun at Detroit’s rough week, and the internet… well… did the internet thing and took it way too seriously.
Tate Ratledge Thanksgiving satire
Fans Completely Missed the Joke
The article, which was 100% parody, even included this wonderfully ridiculous “quote” from Ratledge:
“I know we have a game scheduled, but my family has this big tradition every year where we all get together on that day and have a feast and watch football, and I really don’t want to miss it,” said the 24-year-old guard, adding that he’s very excited to spend time with his cousins and have a few helpings of his grandma’s famous stuffing. “I’ve already had to cancel a lot of weekend plans because of games this season, so I’m hoping I don’t have to back out on this, too. Plus, my mom said she’s making pecan pie just for me—it’s my favorite.”
Come on. That alone should’ve been the giant neon sign flashing THIS IS A JOKE.
But nope. Social media spun out anyway, with some fans genuinely convinced Ratledge was trying to skip the biggest annual game on the Lions’ calendar.
This Somehow Made Its Way to the Actual Lions
Like most things that go viral for the wrong reasons, it eventually got back to both Ratledge and the team. No drama, no anger, just a reminder that some folks may have never heard of The Onion, satire, or even common sense.
Ratledge didn’t ask out of a nationally televised game. He didn’t beg for pecan pie. And he definitely didn’t tell Dan Campbell he had “too many weekend plans this season.”
He was doing what rookies do before Thanksgiving in Detroit: getting ready to block 300-pound defensive linemen on national TV.
The Bottom Line
Tate Ratledge is playing on Thanksgiving.
The Onion is still The Onion.
And the internet is… still the internet.
Carry on, Detroit.