Don Muhlbach did the impossible on the gridiron -- he became legendary as a long snapper.
And after 17 seasons and 260 games with the Lions, the second most in franchise history in both categories, Muhlbach was released by Detroit in a surprise move Tuesday afternoon.
"Look, I have the utmost respect for Don," Dan Campbell said while announcing the news. "I played with Don. Dude’s a pro, he’s an even better person. He meant a lot to this organization, always will. He’s always represented it well. He was an outstanding teammate. He was always locked in, a man of his word. I hate it, man. This is the hardest time, especially with a player like him."
The move leaves the Lions with one long snapper on the roster in former XFL-er Scott Daly. Asked what went into the decision to cut ties with Muhlbach, who happened to turn 40 on Tuesday, Campbell said, “I really think that the best way to put it was, it is time. It's time."
He added that Muhlbach wasn't "beaten out" by Daly, who "still has to compete for a job -- and he knows that."
"But it was time," Campbell reiterated. "Like I say, shoot, man, I wish him the best, he and his family. He’s a stud and I hate that we had to be the ones who do this.”
Campbell said he delivered the news to Muhlbach and his family Tuesday at the Lions' facility and Muhlbach took it in stride. If this is it for the long snapper, he'll leave the NFL having played the eighth most games ever for a single team.
"Don was outstanding," said Campbell, who was teammates with Muhlbach from 2006-08 in Detroit. "Of course it was hard, but as he’s done his whole career and anybody that knows him, he handled it like a pro. He appreciated that we talked to him, we brought him up there and we sat with him for awhile, because we wanted to make this as good as you could under the circumstances.
"There’s no easy way around this, unfortunately. But he handled it well. It’s hard. This is all he’s known. He’s been a Detroit Lion for a long time and it’s really a part of him, so it’s not easy. It’s not easy to watch. I know it hurt."
In a statement released by the Lions, owner Shiela Ford Hamp said Muhlbach "will go down as one of the all-time Detroit Lions greats."
"Since joining our team as a free agent in 2004, to earning the respect of his teammates as a team captain, he has represented our organization with class, consistency and true sportsmanship," said Hamp. "Only 36 players in the history of the National Football League have played in more games than Don, and we are proud to call him a Lion for life."