Lions Players Furious About Playing Football For Millions Of Dollars On Christmas

This year's slate of Christmas Day NFL games is, well, underwhelming. What was billed in th preseason as a who's who of playoff contenders has turned into two mediocre afternoon match-ups between underperforming teams and a prime-time slug fest between the AFC-leading Denver Broncos and a quarterback the Chiefs pulled off the practice squad. 

At least we get a Snoop Dogg halftime show on Netflix!

But we shouldn't be ungrateful. After all, at least we have some sort of entertainment on TV. Something to distract us from the same holiday carols playing on a loop on your Aunt's Spotify, the God-awful mess of wrapping paper scraps all over the house and the NBA.

But some Detroit Lions players don't see it that way. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell are downright pissed they have to play football while the rest of us are nursing eggnog hangovers on the couch — especially since the Lions had to play on Thanksgiving, too.

"The two biggest holidays I feel like in the United States, we played on both of them," St. Brown said on his podcast. "And I don’t even have kids yet. If I had kids, I’d be even more pissed. Like, you can’t be spending it with your family. Get to see your kids open gifts — I feel like that’s something that a lot of parents love to see and can’t wait for.

"So, I don’t even like it, and I’m not even a f*cking father yet."

Sewell had similar feelings.

"I’m going to be brutally honest. I’m not happy," Sewell said. "We already have Thanksgiving. We already play on Thanksgiving, and the fact that we have to play on Christmas (and) away, is something I wouldn’t want to do. So yeah, not fun, but it is what it is. It comes with the job. I’m going to do it."

Look, I get it. The Lions always play on Thanksgiving. And drawing a Christmas game, too, does feel a little unfair. The reality that neither one of these players acknowledged, though, is that millions of people have to do the same thing — every single year — for a whole lot less money.

(Getty Images)

And, trust me, I'm not one of those people who thinks that just because someone makes a boatload of money, they aren't allowed to have feelings or an opinion. I don't blame them, and I 100% understand that these athletes would rather be relaxing with their families today. 

But so would military service members, healthcare workers, hospitality employees, first responders, retail workers, NFL and NBA team staffs, concessions and stadium support. Hell, I'd rather be sipping mimosas with my cousins right now than sitting in my office and writing this column.

And I'm absolutely not asking for your sympathy. Just like Amon-Ra and Penei shouldn't be, either.

Cry me a river, guys. Collect your million-dollar game check — life-changing money that everyone else who's working on Christmas can only dream of — and enjoy your family time when you get back to Michigan this weekend.

I don't see Snoop Dogg complaining.