Hand Up: I was wrong about Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions

I’ll be the first to admit it — I was wrong about Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions.

Heading into the playoffs last year, I was all over Detroit. Dan Campbell specifically screamed “fake tough guy.” The knee-biter soundbites, the emotional pressers — I wasn’t buying it. I thought it was all vibes and no substance.

I thought when push came to shove, the Lions would fold like they always do. But guess what? They didn’t. And more importantly, this week they proved something even bigger.

Detroit Lions were never in favor of banning the Tush Push

As the Lions said back during the owners meetings, they were not in favor of banning the tush push. https://t.co/kms1K744LN

— Pride of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) May 21, 2025

The Detroit Lions officially backed the Eagles and stood on business when it mattered most — voting against the NFL’s absurd attempt to ban the Tush Push. That’s a statement.

Here are the 10 NFL Teams who prevented the Tush Push ban from happening

They didn’t have to do that. The Lions are NFC contenders. They play the Eagles in Week 11. They could’ve gone full coward mode like the Packers and tried to tip the scales. Instead, they stuck to football principles and voted with integrity.

That’s the kind of backbone you need to build a real contender. That’s leadership. That’s a front office and head coach saying, “We’re not scared of you. We’re not changing the rules because you do something better than us. We’ll just figure out how to stop it.”

Dan Campbell on the Tush Push in March:

Lions head coach Dan Campbell on the tush push in March:

“If you’ve got something, we’ve gotta stop it. So, like, to me, leave it in.”

The Lions were one of the teams against banning the tush push. pic.twitter.com/47q6qebs4N

— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) May 21, 2025

Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes, the entire Detroit organization — they stood tall. And they earned a ton of respect doing it.

We need more of that in the NFC. Hell, we need more of that across the league.

History will remember the 10 teams who saved football

Teams who voted against banning the Tush Push today:

Eagles
Ravens
Browns
Lions
Jaguars
Dolphins
Patriots
Saints
Jets
Titans#FlyEaglesFly | #GoBirds

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) May 21, 2025

Too many teams are hiding behind phony safety concerns and lobbying for rule changes that are really just thinly veiled ways to mask their own ineptitude.

The Lions didn’t flinch. They voted like football people. They voted like competitors.

Jeffrey Lurie goes nuclear to save the Tush Push, drops “Wet Dream” line in NFL Owners meeting while Roger Goodell plots in the shadows

So again — hand up. I was wrong. Dan Campbell’s not a fake tough guy. Detroit will have my support until the Philadelphia Eagles beat the living hell out on them and Tush Push a football down each and everyone one of their guys on defense in Week 11.

Fair is fair.

Just Push It..

Just Push It. 🦅

🫡: https://t.co/fof3L4bT4b#FlyEaglesFly | #GoBirds pic.twitter.com/mKDLyf2XMu

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) May 21, 2025

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