Aidan Hutchinson paid tribute to Detroit music icon with sack dance

Aidan Hutchinson had a new celebration after his sack last Sunday, paying tribute to a Detroit music icon when he did it.

Aidan Hutchinson tallied his seventh sack of the season last Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. After, instead of his usual leg kick celebration in tribute to Michael Jackson and leaning into his performance of “Billie Jean” (as captured on “Hard Knocks”), the Lions rookie defensive end did this.

Hutchinson is a native of Plymouth, Michigan, and he attended high school in Dearborn, near Detroit. His dance move, as hinted by the above tweet and confirmed by ESPN’s Eric Woodyard, is Detroit’s iconic “Blade Dance” made popular by late rapper Blade Icewood in the early 2000s on his song “Boy Would You”. Grammy-nominated artist (and Lions fan) Big Sean and others helped it become ingrained in popular culture in Detroit, and some Detroit-native NFL players have used the dance in touchdown celebrations.

Lions: Aidan Hutchinson confirms unique Detroit tribute

Via Woodyard, Hutchinson confirmed the tribute celebration.

"Some of the boys put me on, some of the boys told me about it,” Hutchinson told ESPN. “[Lions lineman Michael Brockers] was sending me videos of it. And I had to for the city of Detroit. And I did it, and I thought it went well, and maybe we’ll keep it going a little bit.”"

Also via Woodyard, former Lions running back Joique Bell was impressed with Hutchinson’s tribute.

"It’s a young kid that’s out here and he gets the culture. He knows what’s going on, and he wants to be here. That’s the dope part about it,” Bell said. “And the way he plays shows that. Him hitting the Blade Icewood dance, he’s just that type of guy, and we needed that type of guy to be here"

Hutchinson was drafted to be a long-term fixture for the Lions’ defense, and it just happened he had the extra layer of being a Michigan native. Performance is one thing, but he’s also immediately embracing all things Detroit.