RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Allen Park — Head coach Dan Campbell is "not surprised" that former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold is reportedly getting an opportunity with the Seattle Seahawks while facing eight felony charges related to an armed robbery and kidnapping in Tampa earlier this year .
"Every team is gonna ... do their due diligence, just like we would if we were in their seat, like Seattle or New York or whoever," Campbell said. "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, he's a good kid, he's got ability, he's got all these (things), we've seen it on tape.'
"So, no, I'm not surprised by that."
Campbell stood by Arnold's side even after the initial allegations of his involvement in the ordeal surfaced. Arnold, who has pleaded not guilty and denied all charges, is alleged to have been one of the masterminds behind an attempt to retrieve stolen property, which allegedly resulted in multiple victims being pistol-whipped and held at gunpoint at Arnold's direction.
Campbell said that nobody from the Seahawks reached out to him personally to gather intel on Arnold, 23, but said, "Certainly, those things come up," when asked if anyone in the building was contacted.
"Terrion's a good dude, man. He's a good dude," Campbell said Sunday. "It's unfortunate. The whole thing's unfortunate, it really is. But it is what it is and there's no way around it."
Arnold, one of seven codefendants in the case, was arrested on June 24 after voluntarily turning himself in to the police and is now facing multiple felony charges that carry a maximum sentence of up to life in prison. Arnold faces three counts of armed robbery, three counts of kidnapping, one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and one count of conspiracy to kidnap.
A team taking a chance on Arnold does not preclude him from landing on the NFL commissioner exempt list, which would prevent him from playing in any games while the league investigates the situation.
The Lions released Arnold on June 29 after he appeared in Hillsborough County Circuit Court for a pretrial detention hearing , at which the state's motion for pretrial detention was denied, and Arnold's bond was set at $1 million.
The Seahawks were reportedly one of at least four teams to invite Arnold in for a visit. The New York Giants, Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints also reportedly kicked the tires on bringing Arnold in.
"Look, I have no ill will whatsoever towards Terrion. I wish him the best, man, and I wish everything and everyone the best in that whole situation," Campbell said. "That's the best way to put it."
Arnold's visit with the Seahawks and some of the dialogue between general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald was shown on the most recent episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks."
Schneider was shown relaying to Macdonald that somebody in the building believed Arnold would be able to play in the preseason. Schneider also said during the episode that he asked Arnold's former Alabama teammate, Seahawks backup quarterback Jalen Milroe, about Arnold; Milroe vouched for him.
On Friday, Macdonald explained to reporters in Seattle the decision to bring Arnold in, according to ESPN .
"We feel really strongly about our locker room and our team, and we had a great visit with Terrion," Macdonald said via ESPN. "Obviously we knew him throughout the [predraft process in 2024]. I referenced the folks that have been in his corner throughout the whole process as well, and we respect those people. We're not going to ignore those folks that we really respect and have a strong opinion about it as well. When you put all those things together, it felt like it was a good opportunity for the team."
Arnold was a first-round pick by Detroit in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Lions traded up to draft him with the No. 24 pick. He had an up-and-down start to his NFL career but was beginning to find his way before a season-ending shoulder injury took him out of commission last year.
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Dan Campbell 'not surprised' Seahawks taking chance on ex-Lions CB Terrion Arnold
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