On Sunday afternoon at Ford Field, David Montgomery had a quiet game by his standards for the Detroit Lions’ offense. Nine carries. Twelve yards. A stat line that barely popped in a 34-10 dismantling of the Cleveland Browns, Detroit’s third straight win after opening the season with a loss.
But hours before kickoff, Montgomery made the loudest statement of the day without touching the football.
The veteran running back arrived in style, wearing Scouting America’s official sash, a homage to the organization that shaped his childhood, gave him structure, and helped build the leadership qualities that still define him today.
“The motivation behind it was just being able to kind of inform people and show people the confidence I had in scouting,” Montgomery said in an exclusive interview with Heavy Sports. “Being able to show people that you can be proud of being a scout. I think we accomplished that.”
A Lifeline in Scouting
Montgomery grew up in a poor community in Cincinnati, where his family didn’t have much and football often felt like the only escape. But even before the spotlight of college and the NFL, it was scouting that offered him a second home.
For an African-American kid in a poor Ohio neighborhood, scouting wasn’t just campouts or merit badges. It was a system that taught him structure, discipline, and—most importantly—leadership.
“Being a leader is the obvious one I learned from scouting,” Montgomery said. “Being prepared is another. It doesn’t always feel fun to repeat the same things over and over, but scouting taught me that preparation isn’t boring—it’s necessary. That’s something that’s carried me all the way here.”
Carrying the Mission Forward
Montgomery isn’t shy about spotlighting scouting’s values in his professional life. He’s flashed the three-finger Scout salute after touchdowns, and now he serves as an ambassador for Scouting America, using his NFL platform to invite kids to join.
“Scouting is the cornerstone of my life,” he said. “Teaching me the foundational pieces that I need—not only being a father, but being a human. Caring for people, respecting people, respecting people’s time. That’s all scouting.”
Those words mirror the Scout Oath and Law, which emphasize trustworthiness, loyalty, kindness, and bravery. For Montgomery, they aren’t just slogans. They are values that carried him from Cincinnati to the NFL.
Football and Scouting as Brothers in Arms
Growing up, Montgomery said he never saw football and scouting as competing commitments. If anything, they sharpened one another.
“You can do both at the same time,” he said. “Scouting benefited me, and football benefited from scouting. They were like brothers—helping me, shaping me. I was busy, sure, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
The lessons still show up today. Montgomery describes the qualities of a leader not just as someone who performs on the field, but who can relate to different kinds of people, meet them where they are, and set a tone for others to follow.
That philosophy he is carrying over in his Lions locker room role, even when he isn’t producing big numbers.
“I didn’t play the best,” Montgomery admitted. “I wish I played a lot better, but it’s okay. There are games that you don’t play the best, so you just move on, brush it off, and get back to it. I’m excited for these games coming up, and I’m excited to go back home and play ball.”
A Homecoming Ahead
Week 5 offers a natural full-circle moment. Montgomery and the Lions will travel to Cincinnati, the city where he first laced up cleats and learned to salute as a Scout.
As Montgomery prepares to return to his hometown, the lessons of scouting remain at the core of who he is. On the field, in the locker room, and off it, the values he learned as a young Scout—preparation, leadership, and respect—continue to guide him, a quiet reminder that the foundation built in those early years can carry someone all the way to the NFL spotlight.
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