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One of the feel-good stories circulating after the Detroit Lions' win was Dan Skipper getting his long overdue recognition. The veteran lineman was feted after the game, and Dan Campbell took the unusual but heartfelt step of sending Dan Skipper out to face the media after the team's first win of the season.
Dan Skipper's history in the NFL and particularly with the Detroit Lions, is why it has evoked such feelings. Skipper joined the NFL in 2017 as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys.
The same year, he signed for the Detroit Lions for the first time, even though he did not start a game. Over the next couple of years, he went to the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Houston Texans. From 2019 to 2020, he had his second stint with the Detroit Lions before leaving for the Las Vegas Raiders. He joined the Lions for his third stint in 2021.
Just this August, he was released again by the Detroit Lions before being signed on to the practice squad the next day. Yet, in the second week of this NFL season, Skipper finally got his chance to show his mettle and started his first career NFL game as a guard, giving a creditable performance in their win against the Washington Commanders.
However, just as people were assuming this to be a story without nary a dark cloud hovering above it, some serious accusations have put a dampener on the narrative.
Arik Armstead alleges that Dan Skipper is racist
San Francisco 49ers' Arik Armstead poured scorn on those cheering on Dan Skipper, saying that the latter is an avowed racist who has called multiple players the n-word.
Predictably, in such a situation, people from both sides of the argument jumped in to justify their position. Those supporting Arik Armstead said that there is no reason for him to jump on a feel-good story just for the sake of it.
Those supporting Skipper pointed out that Amstead and Skipper have never played a snap together, and therefore, the former knowing anything about the proclivities of the latter on the field is non-existent.
Ultimately, it is always a choice of whom to believe in these situations. While many good stories have grim backgrounds, at the moment, it remains worth celebrating.
