Detroit Lions reserve offensive lineman Dan Skipper earned a win in his first career start, but now he’s been called out by a player on another team.
San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead, 28, criticized Skipper in a September 19 Instagram Story, saying he used the N-word.
“So we cheering for racist now? Called multiple players the N word in games,” Armstead wrote, sharing an NFL Instagram post highlighting Skipper’s accomplishment. Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours.
NFL reporter Dov Kleiman captured the Instagram Story and tweeted out Armstead’s accusation, captioning it: “49ers DE Arik Armstead accuses Lions OT Dan Skipper of calling players the ‘N-word’ in multiple games and for being a ‘racist.'”
Armstead’s Questionable Past Tweets
Some on Twitter pointed out two tweets made by Armstead’s account in November and December 2011 that contained homophobic slurs.
“You mean anti-LGBTQ+ Arik Armstead?” one user wrote, sharing screenshots of the two 2011 tweets.
“So………. yes racism should not be accepted in the NFL. But neither should homophobia. Interested to see if there is an investigation on Dan Skipper- but Armstead already has some history with hate speech here….. (FYI- he was 18 when he made this tweet),” another Twitter user wrote.
And one fan pointed out on Twitter that Armstead hadn’t shared the field with Skipper in the past: “Dan Skipper has played 0 snaps in games Arik Armstead has played in. He’s only been on the sidelines for maybe one game that Armstead has played in.”
Skipper Enjoyed Major Week 2 Comeback
Skipper, 28, has made 14 appearances dating back to 2017, when he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as undrafted free agent. The Lions’ 36-27 win against the Washington Commanders on September 18 was his first career start, and he played on every offensive snap and six special teams snaps.
The Lions cut Skipper on August 30, the day teams had to get to a 53-man roster. He was signed to the team’s practice squad the following day and activated on September 17. The cycle has been a recurring theme for Skipper, with him appearing on the transaction wire 45 times in five years.
He told reporters after the game that it had been a frustrating road to that point but was something that fueled him to work hard and never give up on his dream.
“It’s my sixth year in the league, I’ve never made a team. It’s tough,” he said. “You’re just never quite good enough. You’re not quite enough. You show up every day and think you’re doing the right thing, and for whatever reason, it doesn’t quite work out. I think I’ve had 20 NFL contracts. They’re not worth the paper they’re written on. It’s like, ‘Here we go again’ — sixth year. I think things look good, [but] it sucks.”
Skipper’s Career Stats & Highlights
Skipper was an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas, where he overlapped with Frank Ragnow, the injured Lions center. He started his career with the Cowboys, who released him in September 2017, when he was signed to the Lions’ practice squad. He also spent time on the practice squads of the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Houston Texans before returning to the Lions in 2019.
At 6-foot-9, Skipper is one of the tallest players in the NFL, which is why teams have appreciated his tools up front. With a body that size, he can move around and serve as a key blocker. Here’s Skipper at work in college:
It’s likely that Skipper is going to have to remain a key piece for the banged-up Detroit line.
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49ers’ Arik Armstead Makes Accusation About Lions’ Dan Skipper