Lions’ support of Olympian Melissa Gonzalez ‘very special,’ husband Blough says

Allen Park — The moment was already magical for Detroit Lions quarterback David Blough. The supportive husband sat in the front row of the team meeting room, legs bouncing up and down uncontrollably, as he watched his wife, Melissa Gonzalez running the best race of her life.

Gonzalez, an Olympic hurdler for Colombia, surged through the back half of her 400-meter prelim Friday evening, finishing in second place to qualify for Monday’s semifinal with a personal best time of 55.32 seconds.

In the days leading up to the race, the Lions made it clear they would make sure Blough was free of obligations and able to watch, but after talking to the media about it Friday morning, coach Dan Campbell made it a point to bring together the team’s full coaching staff, along with several players, to support Gonzalez along with Blough.

As Blough shouted words of encouragement at the screen, it wasn’t until he turned around that he fully understood the support the organization was providing in Gonzalez’s moment of triumph.

“I knew some of the players wanted to watch and he made it available to everybody and brought the whole staff down,” Blough said. “It made us feel so loved, man. I think that’s the easiest way to put it. You may have seen the video of me going nuts. That’s me whether it’s the Olympics or whether we’re running at a middle school and she’s having to race her sister. That’s just how I am. I turned around and saw the staff and it just hit me. That’s one of those moments that I’ll remember forever.

“Turning around and people clapping, it was thunderous,” Blough continued. “It was a thunderous roar from the coaches, coach (Mark) Brunell, Tanner (Engstrand), all the guys on our staff who I’m spending every day with and telling them stories. They’re there going crazy with me so it was really cool.”

Blough said he was able to share the video with Gonzalez, who was brought to tears.

“(It) made her emotional and cry,” Blough said. “That’s what it’s all about. This is a family and it’s what we’re trying to build. It was very special.”