Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown spoke about the profound impact of linebacker Jack Campbell's recent neck injury, emphasizing that the team is focused on more than just football during this challenging time. Campbell sustained a neck injury and was taken to the hospital during Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings after making a tackle.
St. Brown, speaking on his podcast, described the difficult experience of witnessing Campbell's injury. "All I could think about was his wife and his newborn baby that he just had a few months ago," St. Brown said. Campbell and his wife welcomed their son in early July.
Reflecting on the incident, St. Brown shared his hope that Campbell will recover fully and be able to return to normal life, including playing with his child. "I just want him to be OK," St. Brown stated. He acknowledged that such injuries can be jarring for players, making it difficult to refocus on the game, but emphasized the commitment to the sport they have chosen.
"When things like that happen throughout the game or throughout the season, it does make it harder for us to go back and play," St. Brown added. "It’s like, damn, we took care of him, put him on a stretcher, sent him out to the hospital and now we have to go play again. That kind of sucks. But it’s what I signed up for. It’s what we signed up for. We get paid a lot of money to play this sport that we love. So, we gotta finish the game and things like that. But injuries like that make you put things in perspective."
St. Brown concluded by reinforcing the team's support for Campbell, saying, "We're all thinking about Jack. We hope he continues to get better. All we can do is pray for him."
Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed on Tuesday that Campbell is improving. Campbell himself released a statement on Wednesday, expressing optimism and reporting full movement in his lower body, with continued progress in his upper body. He thanked the medical staff for their care.