MONROE, Wash., Jan. 20 (UPI) -- The
seemingly lucky fan who caught Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse's
game-winning touchdown ball after Kearse threw it in the stands in
celebration upon beating the Packers 28-22 declined a $20,000 attempt to
buy the ball, despite being an unemployed father of two with a pending
jail sentence starting the day after the Super Bowl.
"He got up and chucked it into the stands," recalled Scott Shelton to KOMO.
"It bounced about four times. And right into my lap. Just right
into my chest. Like, just, boom! Just like that. And I jumped up into
the seat and just screaming!"
Within hours Shelton received the first offer for the ball,
$20,000 from a sports memorabilia dealer, which Shelton quickly
declined. Shelton initially told KIRO 7 he planned to keep the ball, get it signed by Wilson and Kearse, and hopefully one day pass it on to his son.
On Monday morning, however, Shelton got what may prove to be a more lucrative offer than long-term sentimentality.
"My phone rings, and it was Jermaine!" Shelton described.
"Jermaine Kearse, you know? The Man! We were just talking about
the game. He told me he wanted to trade his game helmet signed by the
team and his jersey, for the ball. And then he asked me what (else) I
wanted for the ball. And I said, 'Honestly, it would be nice to go see
you guys whip New England in the Super Bowl.' So he's going to see what
he can do about that."
More than just an encouraging offer to beat the New England
Patriots, Shelton was outright asking Kearse for tickets to Super Bowl
XLIX in Glendale, Ariz., a request the sophomore wide receiver is
reportedly considering. NFL players are not given comped tickets to the
Super Bowl, rather they have a reserved number of seats they are given
the option to purchase.
If Shelton does make it to Glendale, the father of two will have
to take a red eye back to Washington, as he is reportedly due to report
for a short jail sentence on Monday, Feb. 1. It remains unclear what
Shelton will be serving time for.
No matter how the strange Super Bowl tale works out, Shelton insists only he or Kearse will end up with the ball in the end.
"I told [Kearse] I wouldn't give it up unless it was going to
him. I wouldn't want anyone else to have it."
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