I Was Completely Wrong About SI Swimsuit Model Christen Harper & Jared Goff In Detroit & I'm Man Enough To Admit It
The experts say you should never apologize.
Not me. I need to set the record straight when I'm wrong.
Two years ago when California pretty boy Jared Goff was traded to the Detroit Lions along with his Instagram model fiancée Christen Harper, I predicted she would snap and the whole Detroit thing would turn into a huge disaster because she was trying to become a Sports Illustrated model -- which I pushed HARD for going back like 5-7 years -- and Detroit was like being sent off to Siberia for an Instagram model trying to break into the game.
At the time I wrote the post titled, "Jared Goff's Swimsuit Model Girlfriend Says All The Right Things About Being Stuck In Detroit," the Lions were 0-6, fiery head coach Dan Campbell was sick of Matthew Stafford's replacement and Harper was facing 2 1/2 more months of darkness in Detroit.
“I’ve honestly been loving the change of pace” in Detroit she promised all her social media fans.
The Motor City, she said, gave her the “opportunity to slow down and focus on things I haven’t been able to in a long time because of the fast-paced lifestyle in LA.”
I wrote that all of it was code for the couple hoping they could get the hell out of town as fast as possible even though Jared was making solid money to sling it for a team that finished 3-13-1.
Fast-forward to Thursday, a week before the Detroit Lions start the season on primetime against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Motor City Kitties are your favorite to win the NFC North.
My how times have changed for Goff-Harper.
I was wrong. These two are officially not hoping to get out of town on the next flight back to sunny California. There's talk of a Goff extension and Harper is actively rooting for the season to get rolling.
"Football is almost back baby!" she told all of her Instagram fans Thursday.
This tandem is so rooted in the Motor City at this point that Teddy Bridgewater is the backup for the 2023 season. There isn't some rookie being groomed for Goff's job. In 2021, I was wrong to assume Goff would soon find himself as the veteran QB grooming his replacement.
It gets even better for Goff-Harper. The guy has the 11th-best odds of winning the NFL's MVP award.
"There's zero chance the Lions re-sign Goff for the 2023 season," I wrote in that 2021 column.
Oops.
Not only are these two succeeding in the Motor City, but they're also thriving. It truly is one of the great American rebound stories of the 21st century and definitely one we'll be following this NFL season.