Dan Campbell is sorry he’s not sorry that Chris Cristie was mad at him.
Christie, the former governor of New Jersey and a devout Cowboys fan, opined last week that the Lions head coach lacked “class” in running up the score for a 47-9 drubbing over Dallas.
During Lions media availability on Monday, Campbell was asked about Christie’s remarks, as everyone in the room had a nice chuckle over the question.
“The last time somebody called me classless, I was drinking wine out of a bottle, alright?” Campbell quipped. “So yeah, it’s all good. I’m not worried about it.”
Christie appeared on SiriusXM with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo last week and was up in arms over the Lions running plays for offensive linemen and running up the score against his beloved Cowboys.
“That’s Dan Campbell. He’s got no class, never has,” Christie said in the appearance. “So, it’s fine. Look, Dan Campbell, that’s the way he is, and what goes around comes around.”
There’s been speculation that Campbell was motivated to run up the score on Dallas because an officiating snafu late last season over an offensive lineman reporting eligible on a play where he caught a touchdown cost the Lions the game.
Christie didn’t think that this was a valid reason to seek revenge on the Cowboys.
“I just think that it’s misdirected,” Christie told Russo last week. “Dan Campbell’s angry because the referees got a call wrong in the game a year ago. Well, then you know, run that play on [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell. The Cowboys had nothing to do with the play being called incorrectly. It wasn’t a challenge that the Cowboys made. It was the call the referees made.
“The Lions got hurt by it. The Cowboys benefited by it. But now, so because of that, you want to take your, you know, your peak out over that, while you’re, you know, beating the hell out of these guys, and rub it in. I don’t think that’s what pros do, but it’s his prerogative. It’s the reputation that he’ll carry around. And, quite frankly, I think most people think that’s his rep now anyway.”
Nevertheless, Campbell’s spirits are high as the Lions won at division rival Minnesota on Sunday to advance to an NFC-best 5-1 and a tie with the Vikings for the top seed in the NFC North.