William Clay Ford, owner of the Detroit Lions, issued a statement Sunday night showing support for team president Tom Lewand following his arrest for suspicion of drunk driving on Saturday.

"Tom made a very serious mistake and he appropriately owned up to that mistake. As he continues to seek professional assistance for this problem, the Lions will support and help him in any way possible,'' Ford said. "I continue to have full confidence that Tom will positively lead our organization as he has since assuming his current role of team president. He has all my support."

Lewand is in his 16th season with the Lions is the chief contract negotiator and oversees day-to-day business operations of both the Lions and Ford Field.

He also has the support of coach Jim Schwartz who also released a statement: "Tom's leadership was very instrumental in my decision to become head coach of the Detroit Lions. I fully support his commitment to recovery."