On most NFL teams and inside the majority of lockers rooms it’s generally frowned upon to punch your head coach. Hell, it might even get you cut immediately — but on the Detroit Lions its a part of their culture, and Dan Campbell was over the moon that he got cornered and beat up by Frank Ragnow.
Dan Campbell is thrilled Frank Ragnow punched him twice in Lions facility
The Lions are just different.
Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Ragnow, the Lions’ All-Pro center, suffered a partiall-torn pectoral muscle in the Lions win over the Cardinals on September 22. He wanted to keep playing through the pain, but the team staff finally convinced him to take the time and rest, missing Monday Night Football against the Seahawks in Week 4.
Now, with Detroit coming off their bye week and slated to face the Cowboys, Ragnow insists that he’s back to full strength, and proved it the best the best way Campbell can understand: Punching him.
This makes sense based on everything we know about Dan Campbell. To be honest, I assume where most coaches chew gum obsessively he just chaws down on a handful of roofing nails. So, if Ragnow were to punch, say, Sean Payton it might send the Broncos coach crashing through a wall, when he does it to Campbell it’s a test of strength and vitality.
The Lions aren’t like any other team. That’s a good thing.
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