Lions teammates, both current and former, pay tribute to Don Muhlbach

The Detroit Lions are parting ways with a legend on Tuesday night when coach Dan Campbell announced the team would be moving on from long snapper Don Muhlbach.

Muhl, the team’s longest-tenured player, had spent the previous 17 seasons snapping the ball for the Lions, and along the way, he earned the respect of plenty of his teammates—including Campbell, whom he played alongside during the 2006-2008 seasons in Detroit.

“Look, I got the utmost respect for Don,” Campbell said at his press conference. “I played with Don. Seventeen seasons, 260 games, 37th overall all-time games played in this league—he’s a pro, he’s an even better person, and he’s meant a lot to this organization.”

Upon learning the news of Muhlbach’s release, several other teammates took to social media to express their affection for the 40-year-old veteran.

Here’s a sampling of some of the reactions:

While his current teammates are on the practice field following the team’s announcement, several of them took the time to celebrate Muhl’s birthday on social media earlier today—yes, it’s his 40th birthday today, you can’t make this stuff up.

The team also had prepared their own announcements of Muhlbach’s career, expressing thankfulness for what he has meant to the organization.