ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) 鈥� coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday he addressed the franchise’s 鈥渦nfortunate鈥� decision to release with the team on the eve of training camp as the former cornerback is facing felony charges.
鈥淵ou never want to let go of a player, especially somebody that you鈥檝e been around for a while here and you drafted,” Campbell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate, but we made the move we thought was best for us.鈥�
The Lions cut ties with Arnold last month, shortly after a Florida judge set Arnold’s bail at $1 million on stemming from allegations he orchestrated the abduction and beating of three men.
A month after the 2025 season ended for the Lions, prosecutors in Florida say Arnold arranged for the men to be pistol-whipped after he wrongly suspected them of stealing $100,000 in cash and luxury goods from him.
In March, Campbell said the team believed Arnold was not involved in the alleged crime based on the information they had at that time.
鈥淚 feel like we鈥檙e going to be good here,鈥� Campbell told reporters at the NFL’s annual league meeting. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to trust what the kid said.鈥�
Harvey Steinberg, an attorney for the 23-year-old Arnold, argued in court that prosecutors were 鈥渘ot even close鈥� to showing that Arnold knew or directed what his associates would do.
Lions cornerback said he is still supportive of his former teammate.
鈥淗e’s a great human being, one of the better men, better teammates that I鈥檝e met in the league,鈥� said Reed, who is entering his ninth NFL season. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an unfortunate situation, but he鈥檚 a great dude. A great human being. His energy is always positive. I reached out to him. He鈥檚 doing good.鈥�
with the No. 24 pick in 2024, when the NFL draft was held in the Motor City and the former Alabama star sported a big smile and a . He had two years left on his four-year rookie contract with the Lions.
Arnold had an uneven rookie season, making 15 starts without an interception. He picked off one pass last season while he was limited to eight games because of a and shoulder injury.
Before the Lions released Arnold, the judge did not require him to wear an ankle monitor because it would have prevented him from taking the field for games and training.
The , coming off a season that fell short of expectations, appeared to be preparing to potentially play without Arnold during offseason workouts because he was not on the field with the No. 1 defense.
Campbell insisted he is confident in the caliber of players the team has at cornerback.
and Rock Ya-Sin are projected as starters while will compete for playing time. The team is also hopeful Ennis Rakestraw can contribute after missing last season because of shoulder surgery and being limited to eight games as a rookie with hamstring and ankle injuries.
鈥淲e feel pretty good in that room with the competition between veterans and young guys,鈥� Campbell said.
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