Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

DeAndre Levy has played in just two of a possible 21 games since he signed a mega contract extension last summer, but the Detroit Lions linebacker said the perception that he's sticking around just to collect a paycheck is beyond ridiculous.

"If my heart wasn’t in football, I wouldn’t be here," Levy told the Free Press on Saturday. "I wouldn’t be here. I’d be in the Himalayas right now. I have a lot of guys that I go to work with and respect the hell out of and one of the main driving things is how can I be there for my teammates. And nothing is changing."

Levy has become more active in social issues in recent months, and he spent more than two hours Saturday at the apparel store Detroit Hustles Harder trying to raise money to help test abandoned rape kits in the city.

Levy's activism -- he's written about some of his endeavors in his Sunday column in the Free Press -- has angered some fans, who've grown frustrated at the injuries that have kept him off the field much of the last two years.

Levy said he shares the frustration of not being able to play, but doesn't understand the segment of people imploring him to abandon his platform and focus only on football.

"If you think that my job is taken away from the good that I’m trying to do outside of the football field that’s really a problem you need to address, I think," Levy said. "Like, if you think I need to wait to address rape culture because I’m playing football then maybe you have the problem. Maybe you’re a part of the culture. And that’s a lot of what we do. That’s a lot of reasons, even in college and what’s going on in Baylor right now, people are saying, 'OK, let’s not talk about this. These guys, we need him on our football team. Let’s not create this story.' A lot of things can be prevented. These people have to live with the results of your action."

Levy declined to go into specifics about his injury or offer a timetable for a return so as not to get fined by the team, but he's still expected back around mid-season from the knee and quad injuries that will keep him out of a fifth straight game Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

Last year, Levy played just 17 snaps because of a preseason hip injury that eventually required surgery, and he missed the start of training camp this year with a knee injury not related to his current condition.

"I’m doing other things (outside of football), but I’m also waking up at 6 to start my treatment, I’m treating myself at home," Levy said. "I’m doing everything I can possibly do right now to get back on the field. And this is just another part (of my life)."

Now in his eighth NFL season, Levy said he began to take a greater interest in social issues during his time away from football last year. That time "kind of allowed me to be a little bit more connected to the world around me," Levy said.

"Football’s like my sole focus," he said. "Everything was centered and focused on that because you have to understand when that goes away you still have a role to play in this world and right now your platform is as big as it’ll ever be. As a football player – as an athlete - just saying anything, I can be in the headlines just for saying anything, literally. I can not practice and be in the headline for four weeks, and so it’s like if people want to put this attention on me let’s use this for good and that was something I neglected early on in my career.

"I kind of neglected my responsibility you inherit once you’re kind of a public figure and people are kind of buying into you and following you and listening to you. Let’s give them a message of something that’s important to you, something that can potentially change someone’s life."

In recent months, Levy has addressed topics such as brain injuries in football and sexual assault and domestic violence, and he's helped raise money locally for places like the Detroit Food Academy.

This month, he teamed up with Detroit Hustles Harder to sell "Our Issue" apparel that benefits Enough SAID, a collaboration between the Michigan Women's Foundation and Wayne County Prosecutor's Office to test more 11,000 abandon rape kits and investigate the crimes.

So far, Levy's "Our Issue" campaign has raised more than $21,000 in donations.

"The contributions are major because it helps us bring justice in a tangible way with it going to the prosecution and investigation of the rape kits," Levy said. "But more than that it’s about kind of challenging the culture head on and opening the conversation for men to be involved in it because it’s our issue. It’s too prevalent. A lot of women around us, things have happened to them and they don’t say anything. And even furthermore, I think of how many men have done something and they’re walking free. This is one of the worst crimes I think and we need to be able to address this head on. And I think the conversation is equally as important."

Levy said he plans to continue using his platform as an athlete to affect social change.

“People want to keep you in the athlete box," Levy said. "Once you start stepping outside of that, a lot of people don’t like it. They want their athletes to be athletes and their humanitarians to be that. They don’t want any type of mixture, politics and athletes. You’re allowed to be an athlete and that's it. And that’s their problem."

And despite the recent rash of injuries he's dealt with, Levy said he has "zero plans of retiring" in the foreseeable future and expects to play at a Pro Bowl-caliber level whenever he returns.

"I may have to shake a little rust off (when I get back)," Levy said. "Maybe have a couple knee braces, elbow braces on. I’ll be out there looking like Kevin Willis. But it’ll be good. It's football. I’ll use the time once my knee gets strong enough to start working on my speed and my change of direction, all those things that I kind of rely on for football. I think (I'll be back to the same player)."

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!