Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell says he has full movement in his lower body and is regaining movement in his upper body, days after a frightening neck injury during a game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Campbell went limp while attempting to tackle Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson and fell face down on the field before medical staff rushed to attend to him. The injury halted play as players and fans watched in silence.
On Wednesday, Campbell released a statement thanking the public for its support and describing his condition.
“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 also thanked his teammates, coaches and the Lions organization, saying the team feels like family.
“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. “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.”
A Teammate’s Perspective
Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown spoke about the injury on a recent episode of his “St. Brown Podcast,” saying his mind went immediately to Campbell’s family as he watched the scene unfold from across the field.
“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. “I just want him to be OK, to be able to play with his kid honestly and be normal.”
St. Brown said finishing the game after seeing a teammate carted off the field was difficult.
“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.”
Still, the 27-year-old receiver acknowledged that serious injury is a risk every player accepts when he takes the field.
“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,” St. Brown said. “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.”
