What Germany Trip Meant to Lions Amon-Ra St. Brown, Craig Reynolds

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown annually plans a trip to Germany to host his youth summer camp.

The talented wideout is close with his mother, and chooses to honor his German heritage by giving back to the youth and visiting each year.

This year, running back Craig Reynolds, who had never been overseas previously, decided to make the trip with his friend and teammate.

The trip provided an opportunity for Reynolds to see a different side of the world, a new culture and to bond with his Lions teammate.

“It was a good time. It was good to go do some football camps with the kids, teach the game, reinvest in the game of football, try to expand it," Reynolds told Lions OnSI after training camp practice. "For the most part, it was fun, man. Enjoyed it, lots of smiles. The kids had great energy over there. It was just cool. It was a culture shock for me, because I had never been out of the country. Just seeing how they move over there, the language barrier, all that. I’ve definitely got to work on my German.”

Reynolds certainly noticed the sheer number of Lions fans wearing St. Brown jerseys.

“They loved him. They took a lot of pride in him being a German guy," said Reynolds. "They follow the NFL, everybody had St. Brown jerseys on and were big fans. It was dope to see. He’s got a nice fan base over there in both of those cities we went to, Munich and Cologne. So, it was great to see, man. Like I said, I had a great time. It was great to be a part of, and I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

The NFL is making a concerted effort to grow the game globally, something Reynolds believes can continue to see gains.

“Hell yeah. The kids looked like they were good at football," Reynolds said. "They were practicing, the coaches knew what they were talking about. It was just a great all-around event. It was very special, and it was cool to be a part of.” 

The former fourth-round draft pick of the Lions had never been to Munich, so spending time with Reynolds and wideout Kalif Reynolds was also a new experience shared with friends.

"It was fun, man. I would say this, it was my first time in Munich, but I've been to Germany 18-to-20 times in my life," St. Brown explained. "So, it was fun to be out there with some teammates. I'm usually out there with my dad, my mom and my brothers and some German friends. To have Craig out there, show him the German culture, have Leaf out there, it was cool. It was cool for them. I'm sure they had a good time, but to get some time off, spend some time in Europe, it's always fun."

The annual camps serve to continue to promote the game of football. St. Brown continues to be overwhelmed that the soccer-crazed country also takes in and enjoys NFL football.

"Yeah, it's getting bigger. I remember being a kid, not knowing anything about football. And now, you have these camps in Germany and there's kids that understand the game, they understand routes, they understand the rules of the game," St. Brown said. "You've got parents that understand it, you've got coaches speaking German that understand the game. For me, it's dope to see because I never thought football would be anything in Germany because it was all soccer. It was World Cup, Bayern Munich, only soccer. I wasn't even touching a football when I was out there. But to see it has grown so much is awesome, we need to grow it more."

St. Brown credits the NFL for its work to promote the game abroad. He noted the Olympics featuring flag football soon will also boost interest in the game.

"I think it could. It's already growing at a rapid rate, but I feel like obviously it's gonna take some time. With NFL International, you've got flag football, flag football's coming to the Olympics, that's gonna be huge," said St. Brown. "It might not be tackle football, but the football is in the Olympics. They're throwing the ball around, it's a sport still.

"That in itself is gonna put huge awareness on the game. As long as we do our part, playing well on Sundays, making good plays and people watch from abroad, then people talk and that's how the game grows," St. Brown commented further. "The NFL's doing a great job of trying to spread the game because the bigger the game, the better it is for all of us."