Tyler Palka was sitting on a couch with his family a few days before Christmas in 2020 when he got a text from Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell’s cousin asking if he was interested in being in a movie.
Palka, a former Saline star who bounced around professional football’s minor-league circuit after splitting his college career between Saginaw Valley State and Gannon University, had tried out for the Arena League’s Philadelphia Soul a few months earlier and remained in contact with Soul coach Clint Dozlel even after the league folded.