Jack Campbell is a Lions team captain. Here's why his teammates love him - USA Today
The sports world was shaken when Jack Campbell suffered a serious neck injury during an NFL game this past weekend.
The All-Pro linebacker got hurt in the fourth quarter of the Detroit Lions' matchup on Sunday, Nov. 1 against the Minnesota Vikings after tackling tight end T.J. Hockenson. Campbell, 26, remained on the ground after the play and medical staff came and tended to him. Campbell was put on a backboard and carted off the field.
Campbell's Detroit teammates were emotional as he was receiving care. Aidan Hutchinson was shown with tears in his eyes.
The Lions won 19-15, handing the Vikings their first loss of the season.
On Monday, Nov. 2, the day after the game, Campbell was still in the hospital, but the team said, "Preliminary indications are positive."
Campbell is a team captain for the Lions and is in his fourth season after Detroit drafted him No. 18 overall in 2023 out of Iowa. Besides being named to the All-Pro team and earning his first Pro Bowl nod last year with 176 tackles and five sacks, he has gained a reputation as an authentic and kind person.
Although there is no blood relation between Dan Campbell and Jack, the head coach shared some words that show he thinks of the linebacker as family.
"I don't even know if I can put it into words," Dan Campbell said during a press conference the day after the captain's injury, before adding, "He's trustworthy, he's dependable. He'd give you the shirt off his back. He's just all heart, man, all effort. He's just an unbelievable person. Down to earth, very genuine. There's not a man on this team that doesn't respect Jack Campbell and care about him."
Campbell's fellow defensive star Aidan Hutchinson had high praise for the team captain after the game.
"He's everything, man," he said. "He's captain, leader, teammate, husband, father, everything. So yeah, we're all praying for him."
The defensive end also posted a gallery of photos of himself with Campbell on Instagram that several teammates reposted to their Instagram stories.
The quarterback is the de facto leader of any football team, but Jared Goff applauded Campbell for his own role.
"He's a husband and a father and it's scary," he said in a postgame press conference. "... If I know anyone that's tough enough to get through something like that, it's gonna be him."
The fellow Lions linebacker expressed his support for his teammate, who he called a "brother" to the media after the game. He then spoke to his character on his Instagram stories.
"A Real soldier," he posted on social media with a saluting emoji as the caption for an action photo of Campbell.
Jahmyr Gibbs showed his support for his teammate in a few words on his Instagram stories. He reposted Hutchinson's photo gallery expressing his love for Campbell and then posted a photo of himself with Campbell throwing the first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game. He put the caption, "46" with a blue heart.
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