NORTHVILLE, Mich. — Fahad Yousif is two days away from receiving his certificate of completion from the National Football League. It is dated December 12th. This means that there may be 216,931 more people who have received this honor. It cost $250 — which is what Yousif paid for the four-hour course, which covers about eight to nine chapters on expected fan behavior in NFL stadiums.
He held up his phone to show me.
“I can’t believe it turned out like this,” he said.
That’s what happens when it all goes too far. Yusuf is a Detroit Lions fan He decided to chirp on the Green Bay Packers sideline during the pregame festivities last weekend at Ford Field. Said a few choice words (no expletives, he made clear), and then made a slashing motion with his thumb across his neck. As it turns out, this is a very, very bad idea. Because for some, especially Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, what started as some fan-mouthed gibberish has turned into threats from a deranged lunatic. LaFleur fired back at Yusef. Yosef laughed maniacally and shouted at LaFleur. Security intervened.
Yusuf is on the field as an added bonus to his ticket package. He was allowed to choose an add-on bonus for the 2024 season, and he chose to be one of the fans who unfurled a giant American flag on the field during the national anthem before games. Instead, security escorted him off the court before the national anthem began.
The argument quickly spread. After Yusuf returned to his seat, he was ejected from Ford Field before halftime. LaFleur then addressed the incident in his postgame press conference and said Detroit’s pregame activities should be better policed. The Lions canceled Yusef’s season tickets on Wednesday. He was subsequently banned from NFL games. Every day there are text messages from new colleagues and old friends asking, “Did I see you on TV?” and media requests. Yusuf took every opportunity to admit his mistakes and apologize. Everyone, including Yosef, more or less thought he had gone too far.
Heading into the weekend, the Lions and the league offered a path forward. Youssef was told the stadium ban would be lifted if he completed a code of conduct course and wrote a formal apology.
Now, here we are. It’s Saturday afternoon, nearly a week since the incident and nearly 24 hours before the Lions host the Buffalo Bills in the NFL’s big game this weekend. Yusuf accepted an invitation to meet at a Starbucks in metro Detroit.
Maybe it could be about life within the explosive confines of a viral moment.
Or it could be a near miss on what could end up being the greatest season in Lions history.
Or about confession.
Or a second chance.
But then Yousef was asked what he almost lost.
“Oh, my God, everything,” he said. “That’s me, you know, I’ve almost lost that. I’m not going to deny any of the criticism I’ve received. None of it. I agree with most of it.
“I’m honored to carry the flag of the country I love. I crossed a line and it shouldn’t have happened. I know where people are coming from. I can’t believe this happened.
Yusuf is many things. A product of metro Detroit’s large Chaldean community, he is a first-generation American, the son of a father from Iraq and a mother from Kuwait. He is the older brother of two brothers. He is a graduate of Wayne State University. He was a sales associate for an automotive tool company in the Midwest. He is Gabby’s husband.
However, he identifies most as a Lions fan.
Yusuf grew up speaking only Arabic at home. He tried everything to fit in at school and began to feel most comfortable talking about football. Growing up in Farmington Hills Public Schools, he said he would introduce himself by saying, “Hi, I’m Fahd. I’m a big Lions fan.
Youssef ignored his father Saad’s pleas to play football. Instead, he played defensive end and linebacker from junior high through high school. In 2013, he ticketed his first game at Ford Field.
“It’s so natural,” Yusef said. “It’s like, this is where we come from, this is who we support. No matter what, root for the Lions.
Yusuf learned and understood the game more and more, but, like so many others, fell into the same trap generations of Lions fans have experienced. He believes it.
“Oh, the Matt Patricia era, man,” he said, suppressing a laugh, “I totally bought into the hype.”
But like Lions fans through the generations, something came of that belief. Share experiences. Yusuf convinced his father to start supporting the Lions. He sold his dream. “That’s it this year.” Soon, Yusuf stopped attending games and chose to watch them at his father’s house. Two chairs. Big screen TV. Standing appointment.
“Every year, he gets more and more involved,” Yusef said. “He finally got it, and it changed our whole relationship. Those years weren’t great for the Lions, but, you know, they were great for us.
The Dan Campbell era in Detroit began in 2021 when the team traded star quarterback Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff. After the news broke, Yusuf immediately called his father. It was mid-March. Saad is now 65, recently retired and ready to embark on his next journey as a Lions fan.
Six weeks later, Yusuf learned that his father was not feeling well. He went to the hospital. He was placed on a ventilator.
“It was so fast,” Yusef said. “Within 10 days, he was dead.”
Yusuf made no mention of the incident in multiple media appearances this week. The virus moment has no time. That and his story don’t excuse what happened last week.
“This still shouldn’t have happened,” he said. “I was a pro wrestling fan growing up, and I think I have some of that in my personality. I support the heels.
To be sure, this personality is great. Yusuf is the loudest person in the coffee shop. He talks like he’s drinking jet fuel. A customer shut down his laptop and walked to a distant table. But there seemed to be really nothing Yusef could do. He seemed to work only with excitement and emotion, and in equal proportions.
That is until he talked about the Lions’ final seasons. After his father passed away, Yusef wasn’t sure if he would ever watch a Lions game again. Regardless of the outcome, every game means failure. Saying this, he was caught and stopped, gritting his teeth and trembling his cheeks.
The 2021 season has come and gone. In 2022, he watched the game from home, leaving a spot open for his father. Before 2023, he decided to make big moves. Season Ticket. Put down the bowl. Verse 141, lines 33 up.
He watched his team go 12-5 last season and win the NFC North.
“I know it sounds crazy – and really, I am – but it feels like dad, Yo, it’s okay, I found you,” he said. “I’ve been telling people the last few years that he’s got this under control. I get a lot of comfort from that. I think he heard me say I didn’t want to watch the Lions anymore. He wanted to make it easier.
Now Yousef is backing football’s most unlikely overlord. The Lions, currently 12-1, are the favorites to do that right now — something so unbelievable we won’t even say it.
Neither he nor anyone else could fully comprehend what was happening. Yusef said he acknowledged his mistake and accepted the punishment, but also believed LaFleur overreacted and that maybe it never needed to escalate so much. He hopes to see the Lions face off against the Packers again in the playoffs.
He plans to go there. Just as he was scheduled to be in the stands for the Lions-Bills. A large group of long-time season ticket holders who run tailgates in the Eastern Market invited him to come to the Sunday tailgate. There may be a ticket available for him.
Although his season tickets are gone, apparently forever, Yusef can still go see his team.
So he becomes a fan.
He doesn’t know how to be anyone else.
(Illustration: Mickey Robinson/ Competitor;Photo: Nick Antaya/Getty Images;Courtesy of Fahd Youssef)
