Combative intruder escorted off Detroit Lions practice field; police investigating

Carlos Monarrez , Dave Birkett | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Analysis: Quite an interesting day in Lions land Free Press writers Dave Birkett and Carlos Monarrez break down Day 1 of Detroit Lions minicamp, including an intruder that ran onto the practice field June 13, 2017.

The Detroit Lions had a potentially dangerous situation occur at minicamp practice today when an intruder wandered onto the outdoor practice at Allen Park headquarters and began shouting obscenities before he was escorted off the field by team security.

Allen Park police said they still were investigating the incident but had no other comment.

The middle-aged man arrived at about 12:30 p.m. today, toward the end of the first day of mandatory minicamp. The scene was witnessed by the Free Press.

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The man shouted about inventing football and wanting to play linebacker and take the place of “No. 59,” Tahir Whitehead, as he walked through an open gate.

The man got within 40 yards of the practice field when a member of the public-relations staff confronted him. Security personnel soon arrived to help and ushered the man away from the practice field as he became combative, pushing back against them.

He continued to yell obscenities.

There was no visible use of force as security personnel escorted the man down a long driveway toward the front of the building.

Team owner Martha Ford was at practice but more than 100 yards away from the incident. Players said they only were vaguely aware of the incident.

“I caught the end of it,” offensive lineman Joe Dahl said, “but I heard our coach giving (a Lions employee) a couple pointers on how to get him out. I don’t know if they heard him, but he was trying.”

Dahl said he was not scared.

“We know we got great security around here,” he said, “so they did their job.”

Lions spokesman Bill Keenist said only that the man was “escorted off the premises” and that the team had no other comment.

Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.

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