DETROIT (WWJ) — While the Lions are plugging away at an historic season — sitting just one win away from setting the franchise record for most wins in a single season — a group of players took time out of their busy schedules Tuesday to spread some holiday cheer to some folks who needed a reason to smile.
Five Lions players paid a visit to Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit Tuesday morning, bringing joy to sick kids and their families, many of whom won’t get to be home for the holidays.
For rookie offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, getting the chance to spend time with childhood patients hit home.
“Growing up I actually had a really close friend in elementary that got brain cancer. I remember being close with him and I remember we reached a moment where I couldn’t talk to him and stuff anymore, so that was really heartbreaking,” Manu told WWJ Newsradio 950’s Tim Pamplin.
“So just coming and giving back to the kids, it’s just something out of my heart and something that touches me,” Manu said.
Star safety Brian Branch said putting a smile on the kids’ faces means a lot to him.
“I feel bad that they’re in here and they shouldn’t be here and just be able to support them and come and have a good time,” Branch said.
Manu and Branch were also joined by rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold, wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and safety Brandon Joseph. The players visited and posed for photos with patients and their families, as well as hospital staff.
"All these kids are so strong and it's just motivation for us," Joseph said.
Arnold, the Lions’ 2024 first-round draft pick, said he was impressed to learn how many kids watch the Lions’ games from their hospital beds. He said he’ll use that as extra motivation when he takes the field.
“Because no matter what they're going through when those games come on… we got a chance to go out there and brighten somebody's day,” Arnold said, per The Detroit News.
The Lions’ hospital visit is just the latest gesture of goodwill as we enter the holiday season. On Monday a group of players took kids Christmas shopping at a Meijer on Detroit’s west side, while others prepared and handed out Thanksgiving supplies.
“These players never fail to impress this reporter. In the last couple of months, I’ve witnessed them preparing meals for the hungry, fixing up the house of a disabled American veteran and today spreading joy to youngsters,” Pamplin said.
The Lions can clinch the franchise record for most wins in a single season — including the playoffs — when they host the Bills on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. with an 11-game winning streak on the line against one of the NFL’s best teams.
Branch told Pamplin he’s excited for another massive game at a raucous Ford Field.
“Heck yeah, 65,000 (fans) feels like it’s about 100,000 in there,” Branch said. “They get in their heads, it makes it loud, makes the game harder for them and for us it just makes us go harder. It just gives us the motivation to keep on going.”