In college sports, many programs have live mascots on the sideline, but that tradition has never caught on in the NFL. Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell found out why when he inquired about getting a live lion on the sideline.
In an interview with the "Pardon My Take" podcast, Campbell said he approached Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp about the idea, and she was up for it. However, the NFL was not quite as excited about the prospect of a live lion roaming the sidelines in Detroit.
"Sheila, she had no problem with it, but the league apparently frowns upon those types of things," Campbell said.
Campbell was careful not to call out commissioner Roger Goodell directly, but he did say the league is very much against teams owning live animal mascots across the board.
"I'm not gonna point out Roger on this," Campbell said. "I'm just gonna say that the league frowns on that. Let's just say that."
Even though Campbell won't get his wish of a real lion at Ford Field, he still has plenty to be excited about as the 2023 season approaches. The Lions took a big step forward in Campbell's second season, going 9-8 and narrowly missing the playoffs last year. After adding a lot of young talent in the 2023 draft, the Lions hope to compete for the NFC North title this fall.
