Fan who Caught Seattle’s Winning TD Ball Turns down $20,000 Offer

By Cheri Cheng - 20 Jan '15 10:20AM
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When the Seattle Seahawks came back to win the game against the Green Bay Packers in over time, the fans erupted at CenturyLink Field. One fan, however, got more than he could ever dream of.

That fan, Scott Shelton, caught the winning touchdown ball.

After Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse caught the game-winning touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Russell Wilson, Kearse threw the ball into the crowd right into Shelton's hands.

"Everyone's going crazy. I can't believe I got this ball!" said the 32-year-old man from Monroe as he detailed the experience according to Komonews.com. "Wilson drops back. Throws a strike to Kearse. Pulls down the game-winning catch. He got up and chucked it into the stands. And 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! It was just amazing! Amazing feeling! We just won the game. I got this thrown to me, by Kearse. It was, it was like a dream come true. It still is. I haven't woke up yet, you know."

According to Shelton, an Everett sports memorabilia dealer offered him $20,000 for the ball, which he turned down. Shelton stated that around 11 a.m. on Monday, he received a personal phone call from Kearse.

"My phone rings, and it was Jermaine! Jermaine Kearse, you know? The Man!" Shelton said. "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."

Kearse, who said he does not regret throwing the ball, explained that he threw it as a sign of frustration.

"Just letting a lot of frustration throughout that game out. I just tried to throw it as far as possible. It was just something that happened in the moment," Kearse said.

Despite letting his emotions take over, Kearse now wants the game winning ball back and will try his hardest to get Shelton to Super Bowl XLIX.

A trip to the Super Bowl would be a nice gift for Shelton, who is reportedly headed for jail. Shelton's mother revealed that the day after the Super Bowl, Shelton will be taken into custody at 2 p.m. to serve several months in prison.

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