LIONS CLAMP DOWN ON ACCESS

The Detroit Lions might continue to stink under new coach Jim Schwartz. But at least they won’t have to talk much about it. According to Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com, Lions players were told that they are not permitted to speak with the media unless the interview is first cleared through the public relations department. “What is said in team meetings stays in team meetings,’' Lions spokesman Bill Keenist said. Setting aside for now the question of whether teams even have the right to muzzle players, does anyone really think it will work? All it means is that players will speak on an off-the-record basis. And the attempt to keep them from talking about things that happen in team meetings will only prompt some of them to go out of their way to blab. It’s human nature; we all love to tell secrets, and to show other people that we know things that they don’t. Also, some players try to curry favor with local writers, giving information in exchange for slanted coverage, consciously or unconsciously. So good luck, Coach Schwartz. You’ve just created a greater incentive for your players to find a way to talk, and for writers to try to get them to do it.