Paralyzed Marine Walks onto Ford Field After Aidan Hutchinson’s Support

At the Lions' Thanksgiving game against Chicago, former Marine Jacob Rinehart took his first steps on Ford Field. Just ten months earlier, a terrible training accident had left him unable to move anything below his neck. Doctors said walking would be impossible after Rinehart's October 2023 boot camp accident. But through pure determination and endless hours of therapy, the 20-year-old Marine from Chesterfield Township proved them wrong.

During his recovery, Rinehart met Lions star Aidan Hutchinson, who gave him game tickets and an Amon-Ra St. Brown jersey. In an amazing twist, the Ford family jumped in with an unbelievable surprise—tickets to the Super Bowl. Hutchinson made the visit while working to bounce back from his own injury, a broken leg in Week 6 against Dallas. Doctors expect it'll take four to six months to heal.

"I would say if anybody can make it back it would be him," said head coach Dan Campbell about Hutchinson's chances to play in a potential Super Bowl appearance.

New photos show Hutchinson walking without crutches, a good sign for his recovery. Getting him back could help Detroit's chances of winning their first-ever Super Bowl this February.

Cameras caught the touching meeting between these two fighters who met during one of the most exciting seasons in Lions history.