Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Campbell sends video message to Lions fan ahead of heart surgery

If there are two things HBO’s “Hard Knocks” revealed about Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, it’s that he cares deeply — about his players, about the team and about the fans — and he can give one heck of an inspirational speech.

When Campbell was tracked down by Grace Courvoisier, the wife of “huge” Lions fan Dominic Venti, who was set to have open-heart surgery, the second-year head coach took it upon himself to record a video wishing Dominic a speedy recovery and offering a few words of encouragement.

Venti announced that he had successful surgery on Nov. 23 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. on his Instagram page, posting the video Campbell sent him along with a note thanking him for the inspirational words.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Atlanta to be first race of NASCAR's In-Season Tournament
West Point alum made history in his MLB debut with Reds
Heat legend cautions Lakers against hiring JJ Redick
Welcome to the WNBA: Caitlin Clark sets infamous record in debut
Jalen Brunson leads Knicks to blowout win in Game 5 vs. Pacers
Nikola Jokic torches DPOY to lead Nuggets past Wolves in Game 5
Oilers use late heroics to tie Canucks at two games each
Watch: Astros pitcher ejected after foreign substance check
Kirk Cousins not angry with Falcons because winning is 'hard enough'
Bronny James has surprising comments on potentially teaming up with LeBron
Bills add two-time Super Bowl champ to new-look WR room
Brewers lose team-leading home run hitter to injured list
Sandy Alderson denies involvement in Mets, Billy Eppler IL controversy
Twins reliever shut down for six weeks with patellar tendon tear
Chris Finch throws shade at Nuggets star over Rudy Gobert’s fine
Cardinals head coach warns not to bet against Kyler Murray
Details emerge on Jason Kelce’s role at ESPN
Rangers defenseman wins Mark Messier Leadership Award
Ex-NFL head coach takes over as Arena Football League commish
Yankees young stud takes major step in return from injury

Want more Lions news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.