Tyrell Crosby Rips Lions' Handling of Injuries: I Was Treated Like 'Piece of Meat'

Free-agent offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby didn't look back on his time with the Detroit Lions fondly while reflecting on his three-year run there.

The Lions cut Crosby ahead of the 2021 NFL season. Last December, he underwent surgery for an injury that the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett reported as being "misdiagnosed" during training camp.

In an interview Sunday with Birkett (via Pride of Detroit's Jeremy Reisman), Crosby alleged the Lions didn't treat his complaints about back pain seriously. He added it was part of a wider issue within the franchise.

"I would go out of the way for anybody in that building, and then to realize, 'Oh, they actually just treat you like a genuine piece of meat and they don't — they act like they truly don't care.' It's so disheartening, and I hear from like other guys around the league that it's, most teams aren't that way. And so you start to understand, 'Oh, this is definitely something that starts from the top down.' It sucks."

Lions head coach Dan Campbell addressed the interview Monday and said his players are encouraged to come to him with any issues they might be having:

Crosby told Birkett the spinal fusion procedure he had last winter could jeopardize his NFL career. When it comes to his next stop should he return to the field, the 26-year-old made it clear he wouldn't want to play for Detroit.

"I wouldn't want to play for that organization just knowing what I know now and just how poorly they treat their players," he said.