Chilling new details have emerged about why Lions coach Dan Campbell and his family put their Michigan home up for sale, including a leak of Campbell's personal information by a classmate of his daughter.
After the Lions' 34-31 loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, a student shared a Snapchat post revealing the Campbell family's Bloomfield Hills, Michigan address with the caption, “Some idiots are going for it.” The Detroit News reported via a police report:.
The post referenced Campbell's two passed field goals on fourth down, points that loomed large after the Lions squandered a 17-point halftime lead.
The post reportedly frightened Campbell's daughter, leading to the intervention of Lions and NFL security personnel.
According to a police report, someone showed up at the family's home just after 11 p.m. and “scared the daughter, who had left the home that night.”
The incident reportedly left Campbell's wife, Holly, increasingly concerned about the safety of her family in the home they purchased in 2021 for $3.5 million. According to Crain's Detroit.
As first reported by Crain's Detroit, the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home was put on the market last week for $4.5 million due to safety concerns, even though the family “loved” the home.
Lyle Dungey, a member of the NFL's security team, reportedly called the Bloomfield Police Department on Jan. 29 to report that a classmate of Campbell's daughter had posted the family's address on Snapchat.
The person attends what The Detroit News described as a “prestigious private school” and is a year younger than Campbell's daughter.
Police investigators then contacted school security regarding the post and subsequently spoke to the student's mother, Leslie.
According to reports, Lisa said her mother apologised to Holly and said her son never meant to hurt the family.
“Leslie stated she was aware of the situation and that Mrs. Campbell had already reached out and left a message regarding (the classmate's) post,” the police report, reported by The Detroit News, stated. “Leslie stated that (her son) reposted it and the post was only on for three minutes and had been viewed 30 times and she thought it was a fake address but quickly deleted it after thinking about it.”
Bloomfield Township Police Department
The report further states, “Leslie told me the Campbell family address is publicly available online and that her son has not contributed to anyone showing up.”
According to the paper, the student in question later told investigators that he had been watching the carnage with two friends when he saw a Snapchat post that read, “Throw eggs at Dan Campbell's house,” complete with an address.
“(The classmate) stated she found the post amusing, so she copied the address and posted it on her own story, taking a picture of the floor and using the address she had seen,” the police report states.
Feeling “distraught” after the loss, the student and friends drove to Bloomfield Hills and “may have even driven past” the Campbell family home, he told police.
Investigators noted that given where the Campbells live, there was no “reasonable way to get through the residence.”
Ultimately, a police investigator told Holly that the situation did not merit criminal charges.
“Holly's only concern is that their address has already been made public and she fears people will find out and try to take advantage of it next season when her husband is out of town,” investigators said in the report.
According to a police report obtained by The Detroit News, a security guard at the private school said the students drove to the family's home, parked on the street and yelled at the house.
“(The classmate) stated he was yelling profanity towards the house before driving off in his vehicle,” investigators said in the report.
The identity theft incident was one of numerous the Campbell family has experienced in the space of about a month, with four police reports filed about their residence between Dec. 31, 2023 and Jan. 28, 2024, in the days following a loss to the 49ers, according to The Detroit News.
Other situations involved phone calls and unwanted visitors, leading to a request for “additional patrols” on New Year's Eve, he said.
Lions security chief Elton Moir reportedly notified township police that Campbell's address had been posted and there was a message telling him to go to his home.
Campbell's daughter was with her boyfriend but left the house due to the attention she was receiving.
According to the media, police officers were at the scene until 1:30 the following morning, but “nothing suspicious was observed.”
“Vehicles and people did show up outside their house but they didn't necessarily come on to the property,” an investigator told The Detroit News. “The boyfriend would go out in his car and flash his headlights at anyone who approached and people would stop their cars and leave.”
“The Campbells were concerned about their daughter's safety and instructed her to leave the home with her boyfriend that night. I assured the Campbells that I would be sending patrols to the home and providing extra patrols that evening.”
On Jan. 30, officers observed a Subaru Outback with its hazard lights on parked outside the family's home, but the car's owner reportedly soon arrived on the scene in a second car and truck.
The Detroit News reported that the Campbells' new home was not mentioned in the police report.
“No disrespect, I'm not gonna say it that way,” Campbell said before last Friday's 20-13 win over the Cardinals. “It's OK. I've got a job to do. My main job here is coaching my team and getting them prepared every week. I've got to do my job and that's my only focus.”
Campbell said despite these tragic events, he still thinks highly of Lions fans.
“I love the fans,” Campbell said. “The fans are unbelievable. This city is not a place I want to be or a team I want to coach. It's rare to have an environment like we have and be able to coach here and play here. I always tell my players, this is a rare place and you don't find places like us everywhere, so enjoy yourself.”
