A Cincinnati Bengals fan missed out on a football caught by tight end Jermaine Gresham for a touchdown, but she ended up getting much more in the aftermath of a bizarre incident at the Superdome in New Orleans.
After catching a 1-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton midway through the third quarter of the Bengals' 27-10 win over the Saints, Gresham jogged over to the stands and tossed a ball to Christa Barrett, who was wearing a No. 18 A.J. Green jersey.
Alas, a man dressed in Saints gold intercepted the toss and kept the ball for himself.
When asked why he wouldn't give back the football the man, identified as Tony Williams, had a curt answer:
"Because I caught it," Williams said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It's very simple, I caught the football."
Williams would go on to give the ball to his grandson:
The ball Tony Williams caught from Jermaine Gresham now belongs to his 8-y/o grandson, who was in the next section. He wanted it for him
— ctrent (@ctrent) November 17, 2014
As for Barrett, things didn't turn out too bad. She ended up getting a football from a representative of the New Orleans Saints organization:
She got a ball! She got a ball! #justice pic.twitter.com/EWO8xhE89k
— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) November 16, 2014
Gresham was asked about the scene after the game:
"He should be ashamed of himself," the 26-year-old told an Associated Press reporter.
But the two-time Pro Bowler went further, finding Barrett's sister on Twitter and apologizing for the incident:
@PrincipalCara Truly sorry about you guys not getting that ball. I'll make sure you guys receive something greater for compensation.
— Jermaine Gresham (@JGresham84) November 16, 2014
Barrett has become somewhat of a viral star and she was even featured on the local news in New Orleans:
