An anonymous general manager has been critical of Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola twice via Pro Football Weekly and the attack became personal the second time around.

Raiola was understandably angered and said he did not accept an apology that was later issued by PFW publisher Hub Arkush.

“All I got to say is to two people, whoever’s talking (bleep) and then the person who wrote it on Pro Football Weekly, are cowards, gutless. They’ve got no name, anonymous, all I got to say is (screw) you, that’s it,” Raiola said, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “Now we move on to Minnesota. That’s all I got. Now if I spend any more time on it, that’s what he wants.”

Raiola is a fiery leader in the Lions locker room. He’s been undersized his entire career and gets criticism from time to time for that. But he’s at the heart and soul of the team and is considered a leader.

“I saw Dominic Raiola called me out, asking who the aimless, anonymous GM is who criticized the great Lions. 'Who is this person?’" the GM said in a PFW article that has since been pulled down from the Web site. “It’s the guy who rejects you every time he watches your tape and thinks you are a complete fraud. It’s the guy who didn’t think you could play when you came out of college and still doesn’t think you can play now. … If he spent as much time working the other muscles in his body as he does his jaw, he might have had the chance to be an average backup. You can put that in print.”

Raiola continued in his tirade.

“He’s probably sitting at home behind his comfortable little front door with his family,” Raiola said of the GM. “If you’re his family, how do you even call this guy a man of your house? Gutless. (Expletive). So let’s keep it moving. Let’s talk about Minnesota.”

That is the danger of running anonymous quotes when they become highly critical. The question of fairness is raised and it's understanable that Raiola is hacked off.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune