Episode
Detroit Lions Podcast: Debunking FB junk
- Podcast
- The Detroit Lions Podcast
- Published
- May 8, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1349
- Processing state
processed- Canonical source
- https://traffic.megaphone.fm/TTEOS3705029318.mp3
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Summary
A viral claim tried to hijack Detroit Lions news this week. It said Detroit invited five-time All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio to rookie minicamp. The post was fake. The Lions do not even have a rookie minicamp this week. The copy gave itself away. How the Joel Bitonio story unraveled The headline never named a player. That is the first tell. The body called Bitonio a five-time All-Pro. He is a two-time first-team All-Pro, with second-team honors mixed in, which is not the same. Then came the clincher. It said the Detroit Lions invited him to rookie minicamp. Detroit canceled rookie minicamp. There is no field to walk onto. No itinerary. No invite. Veterans do not try out at rookie minicamps. Those sessions are for draft picks, undrafted rookies, and a handful of fringe vets looking for a lifeline. Think Jamarco Jones last year, a journeyman fighting to stick before he got hurt again. That is not Joel Bitonio. That is not Bosa. That is not Von Bell. Prominent NFL vets with proven resumes are not showing up to audition at a rookie camp that does not exist. No rookie minicamp, no veteran tryouts Other NFL teams are running rookie camps this weekend. Detroit is not. That has been public for days. Even if there were a camp, attendance is not mandatory for veterans. A free agent of Bitonio’s caliber would not be flying in to “earn” a look alongside rookies. The same bad actors pushed another false note, claiming Frank Ragnow was at rookie minicamp and gearing up for a return. That is not reality. If Detroit were engaging Bitonio, or if Ragnow were coming back in any capacity, you would see it from beat writers you recognize and outlets you trust. You would hear it in places you actually follow, not in a pop-up feed buried under six ads. How to spot the junk: missing names in head…