Calais Campbell Finding Solace Through Football In The Face Of An Unspeakable Family Tragedy

Even when trying to cope with an unspeakable family tragedy, one that Calais Campbell will likely never fully process or understand, football was not far from his mind.

The 40-year-old legend, on the cusp of playing more snaps along the defensive line than anyone in NFL history and still a coveted free-agent at this late stage of his career, said he never pondered retirement in the aftermath of his older brother, Ciarre Campbell, being charged with murdering their mother, Nateal, in Atlanta on June 30. The outpouring of support from players and coaches who Campbell endeared himself to throughout his career was nothing short of overwhelming and his love of this game unflinching.

Campbell is as beloved and respected for the man for others that he is and the leader that he is as anything else. He’s as impactful for the example that he sets as a human being as he has been with his Herculean accomplishments on a football field. Someone who could literally be a finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for decades and who has given so much to those he has played for and played with, didn’t try to move on from his family tragedy on his own, and he knew all along that football would invariably help him get through the days to come and that he wanted to continue playing this season.

“This is a very fun place for me to be,” Campbell said after Ravens practice Tuesday, speaking for the first time since losing his mother. “Playing football is good for me.”

Campbell is in his second stint in Baltimore, re-signing with the Ravens (he was here 2020-2022) after spending last year in Arizona and time before that in Miami and Atlanta. He remains one of the more powerful and dynamic defensive linemen in the NFL, one who has worked with close friend Anthony Weaver, whose playing career overlapped with Campbell’s and is now Baltimore’s defensive coordinator, on a plan to play about 400 snaps at a high level this season.

That training was thrown for a loop when Campbell left the team to be with family members (“Continue praying for us, we need it,” the man of considerable faith implored Tuesday). But he found some solace over the weekend in Canton, Ohio as his friend and former teammate Larry Fitzgerald was enshrined in the Hall of Fame, where Campbell is headed shortly after he does retire (he plans on every year being his last at this point). Campbell is back in a more normal workflow now and headed with the team for joint practices with the Vikings in Minnesota ahead of a preseason game in which he will not participate.

“I feel really good about where I’m at,” Campbell said. “Practice has been going well. I’ve got five practices under my belt - maybe four real, full practices - but I really like where I’m at right now. The coaches have done a really good job of letting me ease in.”

Rookie head coach Jesse Minter, a low-level assistant when Campbell first came to Baltimore, has continued to marvel at Campbell’s ability to do what he’s doing at the level he can do it, especially after the challenges of this summer.

"I have seen exactly – especially over the last couple weeks as he’s kind of ramped up — what I thought we'd be getting,” Minter said Tuesday, “which is a tremendous leader, but a really good football player that will add a lot in our normal downs, add a lot on our third downs, brings great versatility along the D-line. An unbelievable leader and mentor in that room, in the defensive room and with the team. So, it has been really good.”

The Space He Needs

Defensive line coach Lou Esposito, in his first year coaching in the NFL after a long college career (he got to know head coach Jesse Minter’s father from back in his playing days), remains floored by Campbell’s physique and youthful mentality so deep on his career. Having him around is like having another coach on staff – but one who can still generate interior pass rush most 30-year-olds can’t generate (these 2025 stats for Campbell are nuts) – and the Ravens tried to provide the perfect balance for the veteran lineman as he grieved.

“You let guys do their own way of mourning,” Esposito said Tuesday, “knowing that, 'Hey, we are here to support you, whatever you need.' That has been the message from day one. You want to come around in and talk, we’ll talk. You want to go to work, we’ll go to work.”

Campbell’s personal tragedy did nothing to diminish his outward giving of his time and his focus on others. It didn’t turn him inward; he’s constantly seeking ways to help. He is always finding ways to impart wisdom or motivation or confidence to his teammates.

“He is consistently trying to pay it forward, consistently trying to help guys out,” Esposito said. “'’Hey, what do you think about this? What happens if you tweak this stance? What happens if you line up like that? In this call, this is where the stress is.'

“So, he has been awesome, and at the same time, getting his body right, he is a master of his craft, and that’s why he has played for so long in the NFL."

A Well-Received Homecoming

The fact that Campbell already knew so many people in this organization from before – even if, like Minter, they are in very different roles now – was comforting as well. He is so at ease here, making others gravitate to him even more to seek his counsel.

“This is definitely the most questions I have gotten in all my years,” Campbell said. “It is kind of cool because I have a lot of information to give, and I love to give it. Sometimes you have to chase guys around to kind of help them a little bit, but no, not right now.”

Campbell let a few teammates in on the massage therapist he relies on daily in Maryland and he said 10 players were quickly trying to get a booking with her. Campbell’s word is gospel here. That clearly fills him with pride.

Still, there are a lot of empty moments and dark times as the Ravens prepare for this season. After decades in the trenches, Campbell is preserving his body for when it matters most, and there isn’t a game to thrust his full focus and attention upon just yet.

His football journey is only lacking a Lombardi Trophy, and the time to work toward that is yet to come. Week 1 still feels far off. Campbell is craving the routine of that workweek and for the pursuit of true excellence to begin anew. He’ll chase his Super Bowl dream carrying his mother’s memory with him while playing what could be the final snaps of an indelible career.

“September cannot come soon enough,” he said.

Subscribe To "The Daily Flock" On YouTube For The Most Informed Ravens Coverage:

Add us as a preferred source on Google