Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown arrived in Munich on Friday embracing a lifelong dream to play professional football in Germany while speaking about his personal responsibility to expand the sport across the country.
The All-Pro wide receiver addressed a packed room of media outlets at FC Bayern’s training academy, speaking to reporters in both English and German. St. Brown’s mother, Miriam, was born in Leverkusen, and the player spent considerable time in Germany growing up.
He currently wears the German flag on his helmet for every game and sported custom cleats featuring the country’s colors courtesy of Adidas during his Friday availability.
“I’m so excited to be playing football in Germany with my teammates,” St. Brown told reporters. “It’s really, honestly, a dream come true. I haven’t even played the game yet, and it feels amazing — the love, the support, the energy.”
Head coach Dan Campbell said that St. Brown brings a unique energy to the trip given his deep personal ties to the region.
“We all want to win this game for us, for us as a team, for everybody that’s coming to support us and has our back, our fans that have traveled,” Campbell said. “And Saint is the guy you just want to do anything for because he represents everything that you’re about.”
Behind the scenes, St. Brown has served as a cultural guide for his teammates during the week in Munich, assisting quarterback Jared Goff and coach Campbell with local customs and even steering the coaching staff away from accidental German profanity. Following his press conference, St. Brown joined approximately 100 participants at a youth flag football clinic held where the Lions conducted their walkthrough.
Goff expressed enthusiasm for sharing the international stage with his teammate.
“We all want to win. I think more than anything, he wants to represent this country in a positive way,” Goff said. “And he has in America, like I said, but being able to do it now in front of these fans. I’m so excited to hear the reception he gets when he runs out of the tunnel.”
Expanding the Game Abroad
The NFL has increased its international footprint to a record-setting nine games in 2026.
“I feel like growing this sport globally, I feel like is my duty, especially here in Germany, to help grow the game,” St. Brown said.
“I was a kid like 15, 20 years ago, when I was visiting Germany, and I played football back home in California. And when I got here it was like, ‘I’m not playing no football,’ I’m just playing soccer because they didn’t really have the infrastructure, football wasn’t as big, nobody really knew the rules.”
The Detroit Lions have embraced the trip by establishing the historic Hofbräuhaus as their team pub for the weekend, alongside pop-up retail stores and scheduled fan events. Team president Rich Haddad announced plans to build two playgrounds in Germany, paired with a food distribution event alongside Eminem’s Mom’s Spaghetti.
| Initiative | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Flag Clinic | FC Bayern Academy, Munich | Coached roughly 100 local youth participants |
| Community Investments | Germany | Construction of two new local playgrounds |
| Fan Engagement | Hofbräuhaus Munich | Team-designated headquarters and pop-up store |
The Lions are scheduled to play the New England Patriots, marking the franchise’s first international game in over a decade.
