An NFL fan left his wife in disbelief on Sunday as he caught a game-ball – before promptly spiking it back onto the field.
The Eagles were taking on the Jaguars when Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts overthrew a pass into the stands, with a fan right behind the end zone hauling it in himself.
His wife’s excitement at the moment quickly turned to disappointment as the man used his second in the spotlight to spike the ball on the turf.
The woman and the couple’s daughter bemusedly put their hands out as they appeared to ask the man why he got rid of the ball.
The moment was clipped and posted by Pardon My Takes’ X account, and has been viewed four million times on the platform at the time of writing.
However, even if the man had decided he wanted to keep the ball, it’s unclear if he would have been able to do so.
NFL fans are usually expected to return game balls – with one incident in 2022 even resulting in a fellow Eagles fan allegedly being assaulted and falsely arrested by MetLife Stadium security and New Jersey State Police.
In that instance, Hurts handed fan Paul Hamilton a touchdown ball after scoring.
However, according to a lawsuit later filed by Hamilton and viewed by NorthJersey.com, Hamilton was told the ball needed to be returned.
He declined to do so when officers allegedly declined to provide what rule required him to hand the ball over.
Hamilton was later allegedly apprehended by officers as he tried to leave the stadium, ‘forcibly held’ and even threatened with legal action before eventually being allowed to leave with the ball.
