Charles Barkley admits to having a ‘man crush’ on Lions coach Dan Campbell ahead of the team’s NFC Championship game

Campbell inspires Barkley to want to play in the NFL.

Charles Barkley admits to having a ‘man crush’ on Lions coach Dan Campbell ahead of the team’s NFC Championship game

Dan Campbell and Charles Barkley (via CNBC/AP)

Dan Campbell has had a historic year. The Head Coach of the Detroit Lions helped break the team’s playoff drought and has led them to the Conference Finals in the NFC.

The Lions are just one win short of being in the Super Bowl. Turns out, it is not just games that Dan Campbell has won; he has also won the heart of NBA legend Charles Barkley. The former forward for the Phoenix Suns could not stop raving about Campbell on live television.

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He appeared on CNN alongside prominent actor and comedian Keegan-Michael Key. Michael Key is a Lions fan through and through. His excitement while talking about the team was visible on his face. Charles Barkley chimed in at this moment to share his thoughts on Dan Campbell and the Lions.

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I can't believe I'm talking to you about the damn Detroit Lions, out of all the questions I want to ask.

He went on to add, 

I fell in love with the Detroit Lions, I have a man crush on Dan Campbell, I know nothing about Dan Campbell but... I want to play football for Dan Campbell.

That makes all of us Chuck, that makes all of us. Coach Campbell just exudes that kind of energy. He brings in so much positivity and his style of leadership is so inspirational that his players are ready to run through a wall for him.

Charles Barkley is in awe of the cultural change Dan Campbell has inspired in Detroit

It is not limited to just players but even the fans of the Lions and opposing teams cannot utter a negative word when it comes to Dan Campbell because that is the kind of man he is. It is not surprising to see Charles Barkley be in awe of what he has achieved and inspire him. One can really tell how impactful Campbell is when Barkley of all people tells that he would be willing to play football and get active again.

Dan Campbell
Dan Campbell (via Imago)

The story of Coach Campbell is inspiring. In 2008, he was part of the Lions’ roster, which went 0-16 in the NFL regular season. It was the first time in league history that a team had never won a single game. While HC did not play the entire season as he was on IR owing to a hamstring injury, he felt the humiliation that came along with the team’s failed season.

Fast forward a little over a decade later, Campbell is now on the verge of breaking the team’s streak of not making it to the Super Bowl. When he was hired by the team, he vowed to inspire a cultural change and that it was the dawn of a new day in Detroit. He was laughed at, doubted, and overlooked at but he has kept his word.

In a sense, Dan Campbell has made a compelling argument for the Detroit Lions to get the tagline of America’s team over the Dallas Cowboys. After all, this team has managed to come back from being a poverty franchise to one of the most competitive squads in the NFL.

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