Terrion Arnold is back in the NFL, and his old coach isn't surprised he found a job while awaiting trial on eight counts of kidnapping and armed robbery.
"No, I'm not surprised," Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said Sunday, Aug. 16. "Every team’s going to do their due diligence just like we would if we were in their seat like Seattle or New York or whoever. We would have done the same thing, man. Let’s see if we can find out whatever we can. We know that him coming out, we knew he was a good kid, he’s got ability, he’s got all these− we’ve seen him on tape. So, no, I’m not surprised by that."
The Lionswaived Arnold on June 29, five days after he was arrested in connection with a February incident where six of his associates are alleged to have beat three men who they believed stole more than $250,000 in cash and goods from an Airbnb that Arnold was renting.
Campbell said at the start of training camp the Lions "made the move that is best for us" in releasing Arnold, who was projected to start at cornerback for them this fall. And he said Sunday he has "no ill will whatsoever toward Terrion."
Arnold visited or worked out for a handful of teams in recent weeks, including the New York Giants and Houston Texans, and he agreed to a new deal with the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, Aug. 13.
Campbell said no teams reached out to him personally about Arnold, but he indicated teams did reach out to others in the organization.
“Yeah, certainly those things come up," he said.
And he offered a strong defense for Arnold's character while saying his wishes Arnold the best "and I wish everything and everyone the best in that whole situation."
"It’s like we said, Terrion’s a good dude, man," Campbell said. "He’s a good dude and it’s just, it’s an unfortunate – the whole thing’s unfortunate. It really is. But it is what it is. There’s no way around it."
Arnold is currently free on a $1 million bond. His trial is expected to begin next year, and he could be subject to discipline by the NFL before the start of this season.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dan Campbell not surprised ex-Lions CB Terrion Arnold back in NFL
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