Anyone who follows football and who cares about the men who play the game remains deeply concerned about the health and well-being of Lions linebacker Jack Campbell, who remains hospitalized after suffering a neck injury during Sunday’s game against the Vikings.
His coach at Iowa, Kirk Ferentz, opened a Tuesday press conference by addressing Campbell’s current situation.
“I want to share our support, certainly to the family, and most importantly to Jack,” Ferentz said. “And I’ve been in contact with the family, expressed that to them, and they’ve kept us updated, but we’re gonna respect their wishes right now. They’ll handle the information that comes out. When they think it’s appropriate, they’ll release that information and go from there.
“And just, you know, real briefly, I think all of you know, just how impactful Jack was in our program, what a tremendous person he is, what a tremendous player he’s been for us, and then now he’s moved on and done the same exact thing in Detroit, not only playing really well, but just a tremendous leader and tremendous addition. So we’re all keeping him in our thoughts, and certainly, you know, hope everybody that’s a Hawkeye fan does the same.”
Campbell played for Iowa from 2019 through 2022, before becoming a first-round pick of the Lions in 2023. In 2022, he was a first-team All-American, the Big Ten defensive player of the year, and the winner of the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker.