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Lions center Dominc Raiola will not play Sunday against Green Bay, and that's a blow for Detroit's offensive line.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- What makes a guy stick around a place like the Detroit Lions for 14 years? What makes him endure untold losses and adversity?

"There's a belief," Dominic Raiola told me earlier this season, "that it won't always be like this. That someday things will be better. And I want to be around for that and a part of that."

Raiola has not played well this season, his 14th with the team, but he has been part of bringing the Lions (11-4) to the cusp of their first ever NFC North title.

Now it's finally here. A division title game against the Green Bay Packers (11-4) at historic Lambeau Field. And he will not get to play.

It's a shame that a person who has given so much of himself to this city and organization will not get to play in the franchise's biggest regular-season game in ages. But he has no one to fault but the man in the mirror.

Raiola, after all, wasn't suspended solely for stomping on Ego Ferguson's ankle during a 20-14 win against the Bears on Sunday. He was suspended for a pattern of behavior that endangered his fellow players.

The NFL said when it doled out the punishment that this was Raiola's sixth safety-related violation since 2010. And the league definitely considers priors when disciplining players.

One of those violations occurred just a month ago, when Raiola clubbed New England's Zach's Moore in the head, then dove at Moore's legs on a QB kneel to end a blowout loss.

The 35-year-old center was defiant in the days after that game, proudly saying he wouldn't be fined and all he was doing was playing hard. Two days later, he was docked $10,000.

He was not suspended, but his rap sheet grew a line longer. And that pattern of behavior finally caught up with him against Chicago.

In a vacuum, Raiola probably wouldn't have been suspended for stomping Ferguson. But because of the way he chooses to play the game, which too often puts other players at risk, he's gone for the regular season finale.

This seems to mark a breaking point for a lot of fans who are fed up with the loud talk and dirty plays. Many have turned on Raiola, if they hadn't already.

In a way, that's a shame, because there are few who care more deeply about this team and its fans than Raiola. Ndamukong Suh acts as though he has one foot out the door. Raiola never plans to leave.

He's from Hawaii, but intends to stay here even when his career ends. That tells you all you need to know about his heart.

But the problem with Raiola is he wears that heart on his sleeve, and too easily lets it dictate his actions, often to his detriment. That's a lesson he's never learned, and now he'll pay the price.

And so, too, does the team.

The Lions are forced to turn to Travis Swanson at center, and while the Raiola haters will rejoice, don't let them fool you. Raiola has taken his lumps this year, but he's started all season over Swanson for a reason. He's better than him.

You don't just magically get better because Raiola's suspended, especially when you're swapping out a 14-year veteran for a rookie who has never snapped the ball to a professional quarterback in his life.

The public has turned on Raiola, which makes him hard to like and even harder to appreciate. But he does a lot of unseen things for the Lions, which must be noted.

Just consider his longevity. Raiola has made it 14 years, and done it with one team. He's started 203 games for the Lions. There's only one active player who has started more games for one team, and his name is Tom Brady.

In a league that treats players like cattle, that's saying something. With teams always on the prowl for the younger (ie, cheaper) versions of the players they already have, Raiola has endured.

And that's because he has value, even if it's hard to understand.

That's especially true for a game like this, where the stakes are high and the lights are bright. Green Bay inevitably is going to throw things at Swanson he's never seen, and there's no telling how he'll react.

Raiola might not be a great player. But there isn't much he hasn't seen, either.

Matthew Stafford has never had another center. While Raiola has his weaknesses, at least you know what to expect in that exchange. And we saw some major exchange issues during training camp between Swanson and the quarterbacks.

Raiola also called out a lot of the protections, an underappreciated facet of his game. He's the general of the offensive line. And Swanson certainly isn't that.

Swanson is the center of the future, and people around the building rave about his development. But it's impossible to know how the rookie will respond when those lights turn on.

He might be good, but he might not. At least with Raiola, you knew what you got.

He was what he was, flaws and all.

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