VIDEO: Lions GM Brad Holmes gets emotional talking about Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell

The Detroit Lions are a fun team to root for right now, because they’re playing some very good football, they’ve got great personalities on the team, and the face of the franchise—coach Dan Campbell—is the embodiment of a powerful, charismatic leader.

But this franchise is also easy to root for because it seems like they have the right people in charge. It legitimately seems like the leaders at the top of this organization not only care about the direction of the franchise but the people within it.

Never has that been more clear than in this interview with Lions general manager Brad Holmes. Talking with DetroitLions.com’s Dannie Rogers, Holmes showed the kind of emotion we don’t typically see with front office employees.

Rogers tells Holmes that Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell said this week that they were so appreciative that Holmes brought them to Detroit and gave them an opportunity to play. Here’s how Holmes reacted:

“That means a lot,” Holmes said, struggling to fight back tears. “Those guys—you go through a lot—I get emotional about this. You go through a lot in the pre-draft process in acquiring those guys. And it’s certain guys that stand out in the process.

“Penei Sewell, I remember, we did so much work on him. And then finally me and Dan had a Zoom meeting with him. It was right before the draft, and I’ll never forget, it was something about him. It was something about him and just the way that he carried himself and the way he spoke about his background and his family, and it was something about him that I was like—me and Dan were like, ‘This kid is the guy.’”

It’s striking to see Holmes describe Sewell in such a way. He clearly admires Sewell both as a person and a player, and you have to believe Holmes feels similarly about a lot of the players on this roster.

It’s a really good sign when that kind of respect is coming down from the top of the organization. It’s likely a big reason we have already seen so many Lions players express their love for the team and heard many free agents have already announce their desire to come back next year.

You can watch the entire interview below. It’s worth your time: