A Lions player spent $1,600 on a helicopter to watch his brother get drafted

Philadelphia may be the City of Brotherly Love, but over the weekend, it was Dallas where brothers truly came together in an awesome moment.

N.C. State’s Bradley Chubb was a sure-fire top 10 pick. There was no doubt that the premier pass rusher of this draft wouldn’t make it past the first hour of the draft, and his family wanted to be there to support him.

For many of them, there was no question. They’d be there to see the relative’s greatest moment of his life. However, for his brother, Brandon Chubb, it wasn’t going to be an easy task.

Brandon has been on an off the Detroit Lions’ roster since the middle of the season in 2016. Now two years deep into his NFL career, he’s going to have to make a serious move to make a roster, especially with his practice squad eligibility drying up.

So when the Lions had a minicamp practice on the day he was sure his brother would get drafted, he couldn’t make the personal sacrifice. Even if Lions coaches would have understood missing out on the voluntary practice, Brandon had to keep his own career in mind.

But he wasn’t going to leave his brother high and dry. So he took matters into his own hands and got himself a helicopter. No, really. SI.com has the story:

“He’s booked on a commercial flight from Detroit to DFW after practice ends Thursday and is scheduled to land at 5:45 p.m. Not willing to risk rush-hour traffic, and wanting to be sure he’ll make it on time, he’ll out $1,600 to rent a helicopter—cheaper than chartering a private flight to Dallas—to take him from DFW airport to AT&T Stadium.”

That’s a lot of money to spend, especially for a player whose NFL career is very much in the balance right now, but seeing your brother getting selected in the first round of the NFL Draft is priceless.

Thankfully, Brandon made it “with less than 30 minutes to spare.” His brother, Bradley, ended up going fifth overall to the Denver Broncos, a moment neither of them will forget for the rest of their lives.