James’ praise was not surprisingly met with loud boos from the crowd of Republicans as he quickly shifted back to politics.
The Lions won the division title for the first time in three decades last season and won two playoff games in a single postseason for the first time since 1957.
Their 12-5 record marked the franchise’s first 10-win season in nearly a decade and their best winning percentage since 1991.
They reached the NFC championship game, where they built a 17-point lead over the San Francisco 49ers by halftime but lost the conference title game 34-31.
While the expectations were high for the Lions heading into the season, the opposite was true of the Packers.
Led by Jordan Love, the young team surprised fans with a second-place finish in the NFC North, which included a dominant 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round.
Hopes for a long run in the playoffs came to an abrupt end with a narrow loss to the Niners in the divisional round.
The Packers and Lions won’t face off until Week 9 in Green Bay.
The announcement was made Monday during the annual Calvin Johnson Jr. Foundation Celebrity Golf Outing at the Detroit Golf Club.
“We are thrilled to add Calvin Johnson Jr. to the Pride of the Lions,” said Detroit Lions President and CEO, Rod Wood, in a statement.
“His commitment on the field and to the city of Detroit are legendary and this is a well-deserved honor.
