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DETROIT — The 2024 NFL Draft was held in Detroit this week, and its attendance broke a record set in 2019.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the feat Saturday, according to The Associated Press. Saturday was the final day of the draft.
“We have shown the world what the Motor City is all about,” Whitmer said.
Over 775,000 fans attended the draft this year, according to the AP. The previous record was 600,000, which was set in Nashville in 2019.
“I play football games. I’ve been in front of 100,000 people, whatever, 90,000. But, there was like, I was telling someone earlier, ‘It’s like I was (at a) Travis Scott concert,’” Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said, according to ESPN. “I was looking up to look away. It was crazy. But there were so many people. It was awesome to see the fans, the city, all coming together. I just feel like everything’s happening all at once at the right time for this city, for the fans. It’s just amazing to be a part of it.”
“Great for our city, great for our franchise. That’s something to be said. You get 700,000 fans at one draft host city, that’s about as impressive as it gets. So, just really want to thank the fans, just want to really thank the league and the sports commission and just everybody that played a part in this. I’m just really, really excited about this,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said at a news conference after the draft, according to ESPN.
“The idea that we would smash all the NFL attendance records never crossed my mind, but it’s been a spectacular team effort,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said, according to WDIV.
“I talked to at least a thousand fans from out of town . . . looking for somebody to say something negative and everybody walked out of here saying this is just a fantastic city, and that was the dream, that was the goal,” Duggan’s brother, Dan Duggan, said, according to the news outlet. Dan Duggan was a volunteer co-chair for the Draft Experience Committee.
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