Detroit Lions star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said teammate Jack Campbell’s neck injury “makes you put things into perspective.”
St. Brown said his thoughts turned to Campbell’s young family as he watched his teammate lying on the ground following the harrowing injury.
“I remember being out there on the field, watching him, seeing him on the ground from a distance, and now all I keep thinking about (is), you know, his wife and his newborn baby that he just had, what, a few months ago?” St. Brown said on a recent episode of his “St. Brown Podcast.”
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“I just want him to be OK, to be able to play with his kid honestly and be normal.”
Campbell released an extensive statement about his injury on Wednesday, saying he has full movement in his lower body and is continuing to make progress with movement in his upper body.
“My family and I want to sincerely thank everyone for the overwhelming amount of love, prayers, and support we’ve received over the past few days. It means more to us than words can express,” Campbell said.
“I’m incredibly encouraged by the progress I’ve made in such a short period of time. I have full movement in my lower body, and I’m continuing to make progress with movement in my upper body. I know there’s still work ahead, but I remain very optimistic. I’m taking things one day at a time, staying positive, and focusing on getting better.”
Campbell went limp while attempting to tackle Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson and fell face down on the field before medical staff attended to him. St. Brown said it was difficult to return to the game after watching Campbell’s gut-wrenching injury.
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“When things like that happen throughout the game or throughout the season, it’s like — it does make it hard, I feel like, for us to go back and play,” St. Brown said. “It’s like, damn, we just — we took care of him, put him on a stretcher, sent him out back to the hospital, and now we gotta go play again. So, that kinda sucks, I feel like.”
Although St. Brown said returning to the game was difficult, the 27-year-old acknowledged that injuries are part of playing such a violent sport.
“But, you know, 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. And so, we’ve gotta finish the game and things like that. But I think injuries like that make it — it makes you put things into perspective, and I think he has done that for a lot of us on our team.”
“I’m thinking about Jack; we’re all thinking about Jack. We hope he continues to get better, and yeah, all we can do is pray for him.”
Campbell expressed his love for his teammates and the Detroit community after receiving an outpouring of support following his injury.
“To my teammates, coaches, and everyone in the Lions organization, I want you to know how much I love and appreciate you. This team is a family to me, and the way everyone has been there for me means everything. I’m proud to be a Detroit Lion and couldn’t ask to be surrounded by a better group of people. One thing I’ve learned about Detroit is that this city is built on toughness, resilience, and grit. That’s exactly how I’m going to approach this challenge,” Campbell said in the statement.
“Please continue to keep me and my family in your prayers. We feel the love, and I can’t thank everyone enough. God is good. My faith is strong.”
