When Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime of the NFC Championship Game, he was so overcome with emotion that he threw the ball as far as he could into the stands. It landed in the hands of 32-year-old Scott Shelton.
Kearse said he does not regret tossing the ball and was just letting out “frustration,” but he still wishes he had it back. Fortunately for Kearse, Shelton has no intention of keeping it.
According to KOMO 4 in Seattle, a memorabilia dealer offered Shelton $20,000 for the ball. He intends to turn the offer down after Kearse called him personally on Monday morning.
“My phone rings, and it was Jermaine! Jermaine Kearse, you know? The Man!” Shelton explained. “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. But I told him I wouldn’t give it up unless it was going to him. I wouldn’t want anyone else to have it.”
Shelton, who is a father of two and is currently unemployed, sounds like he could use the money. He has had various run-ins with the law and his mother says he is scheduled to begin serving jail time at 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2. If Kearse does find a way to get Shelton to the big game, Shelton better make sure he is back to Seattle in time the next day.
We have seen fans give back even more valuable pieces of memorabilia before, and it always amazes us. It’s hard to imagine turning down that much money.
